


Phantoms

by Metal_Ox137



Series: The New Mutants [2]
Category: New Mutants (Comics), The New Mutants (2020)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:53:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27833332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Ox137/pseuds/Metal_Ox137
Summary: Episode 2 of The New Mutants seriesHank McCoy returns to Xavier’s to begin a search for the missing X-Men.
Relationships: Danielle Moonstar/Rahne Sinclair, Roberto da Costa/Illyana Rasputin
Series: The New Mutants [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037208
Comments: 9
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

Moira MacTaggert stood anxiously just outside the airport security gate. All around her, the interminable bustle of travelers going to and fro dissolved into an aural cocoon of white noise. With relief, she spotted a familiar face - and an unmistakable physique - coming down the walkway. She smiled as she caught his eye. A few moments later, they greeted each other joyfully.  
  
“Hank McCoy,” Moira grinned at him, shaking her head.  
  
“Ha, ha! Moira!” Henry “Hank” McCoy spread his massive arms wide and gathered the much smaller woman into his welcoming embrace.  
  
“Hank, you have _no_ idea how happy I am to see you right now,” Moira murmured.  
  
“It’s good to see you, too.” After they had hugged, he looked down at her and frowned. “Have you gotten shorter?”  
  
Moira’s answer was a playful swat. “When you called me and said you’d leave Yale to take over at Xavier’s, I put my head down and cried for a solid hour,” she confessed. She looked up at him, smiling, tearful. “And now that you’re here... well... I might just do it again.”  
  
“I’m happy to oblige, Moira.”  
  
“I can’t even begin to thank you for this.”  
  
“Oh, it was always in the cards,” Hank assured her. “Charles often confided that he wanted one of his former students to eventually replace him as professor, when he finally became too old to teach - and he flattered me by saying he considered me one of the students worthy to take up that mantle. That is... until he met Ororo.” His smile faded, and he gave Moira a questioning look. “There’s been no word, I take it.”  
  
Moira shook her head. “I had Reed Richards go over every inch of the mansion with every probe and tracking device imaginable, trying to find traces of, well, anything at all. Doctor Stephen Strange was kind enough to visit one afternoon to provide a similar analysis from the magical side. Both men came up empty. If those two can’t find anything, I don’t know who can. Whatever or whoever snatched the X-Men away, left no technological or mystical traces.”  
  
“I see.” Hank frowned, obviously thinking hard on the information. “Well, for the moment, let’s keep our attention focused on the students. I’m confident their problems are ones we can solve.”  
  
They stepped onto the long escalator that led to the baggage claim area.  
  
“What did you tell the dean?” Moira asked, curious.  
  
Hank shrugged. “Mostly the truth. That my old mentor at my former college had suddenly taken ill, and I agreed to replace him for the semester on an interim basis. I’m on leave of absence through the end of the semester.”  
  
“And what happens after that?”  
  
“If Charles isn’t home by then? Then we’ll make arrangements to make my position more permanent.”  
  
“You’d give up a prestigious research fellowship at Yale, just to teach six kids at a non-accredited school?” Moira gaped in astonishment.  
  
Hank simply gave her a smile. “Your students have the greater need. Or perhaps I should amend that to, _our_ students.”  
  
Moira’s eyes again filled with tears. “Hank...”  
  
“Moira, I have already received more blessings from this life than I could ever ask for,” Hank shushed her. “I don’t need any more awards and accolades. And the opportunities for research will always be there. For now, it would be an honor for me to help you... and to help them.”  
  
Moira clasped Hank’s hand tightly, words momentarily failing her.  
  
Once she was sure she could safely speak again, she asked, “Hank... do you think there’s any chance at all they’re still alive?”  
  
Hank mulled over his answer carefully. “I like to think that wherever Charles is, he and the rest of the X-Men are safe and well, and just trying to figure out the quickest way home. We have to live in hope, Moira. Despair is a very powerful adversary.”  
  
They reached the baggage area, and waited with barely-concealed impatience for the trundle belt to start delivering luggage.  
  
“So, how is Sean? He’s well, I trust?”  
  
“Yes, he is,” Moira nodded. “In fact, you’ll see him very soon. Right now, he’s at Muir Isle, shutting the lab down for what is likely to be an extended period. I asked him to join me stateside, as it seems I’m here for the long haul.”  
  
“I shall be delighted to see him.”  
  
“He’s got a lot more grey in his hair, since you saw him last.”  
  
“Don’t we all,” Hank drawled. “No longer adventuring, then.”  
  
“No, and thank Christ,” Moira declared forcefully. “Even he’s finally realized he’s too old to go out swashbuckling. I managed to convince him that he will be of genuine use here - we really do need someone to look after the house and stables, and keep them in good repair. I can’t keep asking my students to maintain the property.”  
  
Hank frowned. “Stables?”  
  
“Yes, we’re in the annex. Not at the mansion.”  
  
“Ahh... not the old Patterson ranch? Out near Salem Center?”  
  
“Yes, that’s the place.”  
  
“I’ve driven by there many a time, when I still lived in Westchester. I didn’t realize Charles owned it.”  
  
“He only purchased it recently. It’s become a ward for the special needs students.”  
  
Hank harrumphed. “As if none of his other students had any special needs.”  
  
“These do,” Moira assured him.  
  
Hank collected his luggage, and a few minutes later, they were back in the mini-van Moira was leasing, driving back towards Salem Center.  
  
“I’ve been looking through the case files you sent me,” Hank said, once he was sure that Moira could lessen her concentration on driving just enough to carry on a conversation. “It’s quite sobering, what some of these young people have been through.”  
  
“They’re good kids, Hank. They’re extremely intelligent, their socialization skills are excellent, it’s just that most of them have been traumatized almost beyond human endurance.”  
  
“Yes. So I read. Four of them have suffered events where a close friend or immediate family member was maimed or killed by an inadvertent use of their mutant powers. I was surprised to see Piotr’s little sister, Illyana, among your students.”  
  
“We need to invent a whole new classification for Illy,” Moira sighed. “Her traumas go all the way back to her demon upbringing when she was six. Although... she mostly acts out in ways very typical for a young woman her age. She frequently experiences suicidal ideation, which is concerning, although she’s not made any actual attempts that I’m aware of. And I know she drinks. I’ve never actually seen her drunk, and she doesn’t display any of the typical behavioral patterns of a substance abuser. But I have found bottles of alcohol in her room. Always those tiny travel size bottles, and never more than one or two. I suspect she spikes her tea with them.”  
  
“Mmm. Where is she getting the alcohol, I wonder.”  
  
“Well, she’s a teleporter. She could be popping into any liquor store in Salem Center in the middle of the night for all I know. I haven’t confronted her yet, only because there’s no sign that the pattern is worsening. But it’s definitely something I worry about, and I watch her closely. The biggest problem with Illy is, she has powers I haven’t even begun to catalog yet. She’s virtually uncontainable. Although recently, her socialization with the other students has improved dramatically, which is a very welcome sign.”  
  
“I see. Actually, the student that intrigues most is this - Danielle Moonstar,” Hank glanced at the file in front of him to confirm the name. “I’ve seen possibly every mutant power there is to see in this world, and I’m still incredulous.”  
  
“Believe it, Hank. Dani can reach into anyone’s subconscious, pull out the nastiest things possible, and give them physical form.”  
  
“Fully tangible psychic projections,” Hank glanced over the notes. “Extraordinary.”  
  
“And let me assure you, everything she conjures is absolutely lethal.”  
  
“It says here you’re still giving her medication to suppress her mutant powers?”  
  
“I have to, Hank. Dani has no control over her abilities whatsoever. It’s all completely involuntary. And when her power manifests, people die. I’ve been wracking my brains trying to think of any way we could possibly set up a safe containment space for her to practice control of her powers.”  
  
“I see. It seems I have my work cut out for me. Tell me something about them,” he urged. “Something that isn’t in the files. I just want to get a sense of what I’m stepping into.”  
  
“Well, the good news is, all your new students are bright, intelligent, eager to learn, and best of all, they want to be helped. You won’t have any difficulty convincing any of them to apply themselves.”  
  
“Well, that’s helpful.”  
  
“Mostly, the challenge is working past their personal traumas. But they want the help, they’re actively seeking it, and they’re willing to put in the work.”  
  
“What’s the group dynamic like?”  
  
“We have one pair of students that have coupled already, and another pair that are working up to it. I haven’t interceded or forbidden any personal relationships, and frankly, I’d rather not stick my nose in if I don’t have to. I’ve been dusting off all the ‘safe sex’ lectures, but I don’t want those to seem like I’m giving my endorsement to an avalanche of indiscriminate coupling.”  
  
“It’s quite the tightrope to walk,” Hank agreed.  
  
“At the risk of throwing you under bus, I’m probably leaving that tightrope to you. Headmaster.” Moira grinned at him. “Apart from that, they all like each other, and work well together. I brought the newest student, Amara, to the school only a few days ago. The other students welcomed her warmly and she integrated successfully into the group almost immediately. You’d never know to meet her that she’s been here barely a week.”  
  
“They’ve bonded, then. They consider themselves a team.”  
  
“Absolutely, they do. Dani is their unquestioned leader. All the other students take their cues from her. She’s remarkable, Hank, even without her mutant powers. She demonstrates a level of maturity I wouldn’t have expected from someone so young - and so traumatized. She displays incredible empathy for others. She’s even managed, somehow, to coax Illy out of her shell, and for the longest time, I had considered Illy to be completely unreachable.”  
  
“How about the two boys? Guthrie and da Costa?”  
  
“Sam is up and down. He has some good days. Others, he’s almost catatonic. It doesn’t help that his mutant power has injured him severely almost every time he’s tried to use it. And of course there’s the guilt he feels, over the accidental death of his father. Roberto is much more well adjusted, mostly because he has no traumatic events in his background - apart from his friends disowning him when his mutant powers manifested. His parents make a show of being supportive, but...” Moira sighed. “You know how it is. The truth is, they’re horrified that their son is a mutant.”  
  
“A story we know only too well,” Hank agreed sadly.  
  
“Roberto has full control over his power. He has been running the household for us for the last several weeks, and I mean that literally. He’s an excellent cook, he’s kept our pantry shelves stocked. He’s responsible, reliable and very charming in social settings. Frankly, if Charles were here, I’d recommend that Roberto be transferred to the main campus. There’s really no reason for him to be in the annex at this point.”  
  
“Which reminds me, what is going on with the mansion? Why aren’t you basing yourselves there? Are you concerned what happened to the X-Men might happen to you and the other students?”  
  
“That thought hadn’t even crossed my mind,” Moira answered, suppressing a shudder. “No, I had asked the students if they wanted to relocate, and every one of them indicated they felt more comfortable at the annex. So we stayed put. When Warren visits later this week, he’s planning to board the mansion up - at least until we can decide what to do with it.”  
  
“That’s a genuine shame,” Hank sighed. “Still, I certainly want to see Warren while he’s here. And we should probably survey the property together, before committing to shutting everything down - all three of us.”  
  
Moira nodded in agreement. “There’s some equipment I wanted to move over to the annex. And of course, you and Warren probably know much better than I do, what facilities need to be secured, and how best to secure them.”  
  
“You have a room for me at the annex, I trust.”  
  
“The master suite is yours. We kept it reserved for Charles’ use, as he would frequently visit the annex when he wasn’t working at the main campus.”  
  
“You’re not using it?”  
  
“No, I have a small apartment on the ground floor, and I’ve turned one of the rooms at the south end of the annex into my office. I can of course relocate if you want to use either of those spaces.”  
  
“That won’t be necessary,” Hank assured her. “I’m sure the suite will be fine. What about support staff?”  
  
“We have a cleaning crew that comes through once a week, for the common areas only. I’m still trying to find a craft services crew that would be suitable for the school. Right now, everyone is doing their own laundry - although as I said, Roberto’s been doing the lion’s share of cooking for us. I’ve also asked Stevie Hunter if she wouldn’t mind coming over twice a week to organize some physical activities for the students - basically, to be a glorified gym teacher. She said she’d be happy to help.”  
  
“Mmm. I’ve not met Miss Hunter. But Charles always spoke highly of her. She was never on the staff of Xavier’s, I understand.”  
  
“No. She has her own dance studio in Salem Center. But she’s worked with the school for a while now. She’s known and liked by all the students.”  
  
“Anyone else?”  
  
“Right now, it’s just us, Hank. We are the entire faculty. We don’t even have a school nurse.”  
  
“All right. We’ll see how it goes to start,” Hank decided. “We can always bring additional faculty if needed. I’m assuming Warren has offered to pay for everything.”  
  
“Yes, and what a relief _that_ is,” Moira admitted. “I’m half expecting all the financial institutions to freeze Xavier’s accounts as soon as they learn he’s missing. Fortunately, everything to do with running and maintaining the main campus has been set up for automatic payments. So we can push that crisis to the back burner, at least for now.”  
  
“Well, since I’m elbowing my way into your school - and for all intents and purposes, it is _your_ school - are there any time periods you have blocked out for the students? Anything you wish to keep reserved?”  
  
“You’re free to make any schedule that works for you, Hank. You’re headmaster now. I will be more than happy to work around whatever you set up.”  
  
“Hmm. Well, I think we’ll go light on the lectures to start. I’ll want the students to have the flavor of a classical education, of course. But for the first week or so, I’ll schedule primarily one-on-one interactions, so I can get the best sense what will be most beneficial for each student. We can plan some more formal structuring of the classes after that.”  
  
“They’re really looking forward to meeting you, Hank. The fact that one of the original X-Men is returning to the school is a big deal to these kids.”  
  
Hank grinned. “ _‘Popularity? Why, it is the very crumbs of greatness.’_ Victor Hugo said that.”  
  
“ _‘Whoever opens a school, closes a prison.’_ Hugo said that, too.”  
  
“Oh, very good,” Hank nodded approvingly. “I like that one.”  
  
“Don’t discount what your reputation gives you, Hank.”  
  
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m no Charles Xavier, Moira. But I am reasonably sure I can help these kids. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”  
  
“Hank McCoy, you are seraphim as far as I’m concerned,” Moira declared. “Warren needs to lend you his wings.”  
  
Hank chuckled. “I think he might object to that.”  
  
Moira gave him a wide smile. “Well... at the very least... you’re a goddamn superhero.”

* * *

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”  
  
Dani Moonstar came up the steps of the back patio. Illyana Rasputin was standing at the railing in her heaviest winter coat, staring out at the still-impressive blank canvas of white snow left over from the previous week’s storm, stretching away into the distance as far as the eye could see.  
  
Illyana didn’t acknowledge Dani’s presence in any way, but as Dani leaned on the railing next to her, she sighed.  
  
“I’m trying to decide if this snowfall is more than any I saw when I lived in Russia,” she said. “The snow seemed a lot bigger then. But, I was also a lot smaller.”  
  
“Let me take you to Montana some time,” Dani offered. “That’s real snow.”  
  
Dani stood next to Illyana at the railing for several long moments, obviously wanting to start a conversation and uncertain how. Illyana broke the silence for her.  
  
“So, what’s up?” she asked. “I’m guessing you’re not out here braving the Siberian cold just for the hell of it.”  
  
“I’m not. I need to ask you a favor.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“A really _big_ favor. Huge.”  
  
“What is it?”  
  
Dani exhaled sharply.  
  
“I want you to fight me.”  
  
Illyana frowned, thinking she hadn’t heard right. Then she laughed incredulously.  
  
“Are you serious right now?”  
  
“Dead serious.”  
  
“You want me to kick your ass.”  
  
Illyana turned to look at Dani. Apparently her friend wasn’t joking.  
  
“I have got to find some way of controlling my power,” Dani said quietly. “I think... I need to call the demon bear.”  
  
Illyana raised an eyebrow. “Okay, now I _know_ you’re nuts. Dani, the demon bear nearly killed us all.”  
  
“I know. I know it did. That’s why I have to learn how to control it. And you’re the only person who has enough power to stop it, if I can’t.”  
  
“Dani, this is crazy. What if...”  
  
“Please, hear me out,” Dani pleaded. “If I can control the bear, then I can control other aspects of my power, too. I can keep my subconscious from wandering at night and plucking everybody’s worst nightmares from their heads while we sleep.”  
  
“And me beating the crap out of you is gonna fix that how, exactly?”  
  
“I want to call the bear. See if I can make it respond to my conscious will, even if I’m under duress.”  
  
“And if you can’t?”  
  
“Then I need you to step in, and chop it down to a respectable size until I can.”  
  
“Fuck.” Illyana shook her head in disbelief.  
  
_”Please,_ Illy. I know this is a big ask. This isn’t some practice sparring I’m asking for. I need a no holds barred fight. Your powers against mine.”  
  
“I don’t know what to make of you some days. First you want to be friends. Now you want to throw down. Your timing’s lousy, Moonstar.”  
  
“Actually, I blame you for this idea,” Dani grinned.  
  
_”Me?_ What did I do?”  
  
“When we were in the truth circle the other night, you said, it’s down to us to learn how to use our powers, and we only really learn by doing. And the more I thought about it, I realized you were right.”  
  
Illyana regarded Dani with new appreciation. “I never thought you’d actually take anything I say seriously,” she admitted, and then gave her a pleading look. “Come on, you _know_ I don’t play nice when the fighting starts.”  
  
“Oh, I’m aware,” Dani assured her. “I’m counting on it.”  
  
“You’re really serious about this.”  
  
“As a heart attack. There’s a real chance one of us could get hurt, maybe even both of us, and badly,” Dani allowed. “But I know how bored you get with practice. You’ve been itching for a real fight for a while now. You’re stronger than me, physically. And your will to win is every bit as strong as mine. You don’t back down from anyone, or anything. And I _know_ you want to kick my ass,” she grinned, but immediately turned serious again. “I need your help, Illy. You’re literally the only person I can trust to do this.”  
  
Illyana groaned. “Fine. You want me to kick your ass? I’ll be happy to kick your ass.” Almost instantly, Illyana’s soul sword appeared in her hands. “Come on, then, bitch. Let’s go.”  
  
“Not yet,” Dani protested, holding up a hand. “First, I have to somehow convince Doctor MacTaggert to stop giving me the shots that inhibit my mutant powers. And even if I can convince her, it’ll still take a couple of days for the remaining serum to break down in my bloodstream.”  
  
“Oh, come _on,_ Moonstar,” Illyana groaned in dismay. “You’re such a tease. You got me all worked up for nothing!”  
  
As quickly as it had appeared, the soul sword vanished.  
  
“It won’t be for nothing, Illy, I promise. If this works, then I can stop taking all those stupid shots, and start working on controlling my powers for real. I can start breathing again.”  
  
Illyana gave her friend a hard stare. “You really think this is gonna help you.”  
  
“I’ve got to try,” Dani said. “Otherwise, I have to get a syringe full of serum in my arm every day for the rest of my life. Help me, Illy. I’m asking you as a friend. Help me. Please.”  
  
Illyana stood at the railing for a long time, clearly pondering Dani’s words. Finally she sighed. “You know... if you really _do_ gain control of your powers... that _would_ be pretty amazing,” she admitted. “Think of all the things you could do, with a power like that. Hell. You’d be unstoppable. So... yeah. That’d be worth spilling some blood for.” She nodded slowly, coming to her decision. “Okay. You say when, and we’ll go. I just hope we both don’t live to regret this.” She paused. “Actually, I think I’d even settle for just being alive afterwards.”  
  
“Thank you, Illy,” Dani said gratefully.  
  
Illyana snorted with disgust, but then gave her friend a rare smile.  
  
“What, you think I’m scared of your fuzzy wuzzy widdle bear?” she teased. “Bitch, please. I will cut off its flea-bitten head, and parade it up and down the hallways like a fucking Viking queen, until every carpet in the house is _soaked_ in its blood. Then I’m having the thing stuffed, and hanging it on the wall over my bed as a trophy.”  
  
Dani couldn’t help laughing at Illyana’s challenge, joking or not.  
  
“God. You are so weird,” she declared. Impulsively, she gave Illyana a tight hug. “I love you so much.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Illyana grumbled. “Don’t tell anybody I said this. But you’re mostly all right too. Mostly.”  
  
“Okay. I’ll leave you alone now. Thanks, Illy.”  
  
Dani turned to leave, but Illyana caught her hand.  
  
“It’s all right. You can stay,” she said. “For a little while. If you want.”  
  
Dani’s smile widened into a huge grin. “Thanks. I’d like that.”  
  
She settled herself in, once again leaning on the railing next to her friend.  
  
“And just so you know, there’s a proper order to these things,” Illyana scolded. “We’re supposed to have the big fight first, then kiss and make up afterwards. You gotta stop doing things backwards. Jerk.”  
  
Illyana made a show of being irritated, but she squeezed Dani’s hand affectionately.  
  
“I’ll try to remember that,” Dani vowed solemnly.  
  
Illyana rested her head on Dani’s shoulder, and, hands still clasped, the two friends stood together at the railing in companionable silence, and stared out at the vast expanse of snow that lay before them.


	2. Chapter 2

Doctor Henry “Hank” McCoy’s prodigal return to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters might have been a low-key affair, but it didn’t lack for warmth. All the students greeted him enthusiastically when he arrived, clearly delighted by his presence. They gathered in the living room together, and all the students introduced themselves. As he talked with them, Hank saw little evidence of the trauma that he knew each of the students had experienced. They all seemed genuinely happy and outgoing. But, he reflected, most people were capable of putting up the facade of a happy face - for a brief time. Sooner or later, of course, all such masks would fall away. But there was one thing that certainly wasn’t faked. The students of the annex were a tightly-knit group that openly supported each other, and Hank had no doubt that if it ever came to that, they would fight for each other. They were a real team. And what Moira had told him earlier was evidently true: there was no question who led the team. It was undoubtedly Dani Moonstar.  
  
After they spent perhaps half an hour just talking and having a chance to get acquainted, Roberto and Sam set off to the kitchen to begin preparations for dinner, and Dani offered to give the new headmaster a quick tour of the annex, and then show him to his rooms.  
  
“Thank you, Dani, I’d like that,” Hank smiled at her. “But first, I would like a quick word with Illyana, in private.”  
  
Illyana looked at him in bewilderment. “Me?”  
  
“Is that the library, through there?” Hank pointed, and Moira nodded.  
  
“That will do. Dani, please don’t wander off. This shouldn’t take more than a few moments.”  
  
They entered the library, and Hank closed the sliding wood panel doors behind them.  
  
“What’s all that about?” Dani asked.  
  
Moira shook her head. “I have absolutely no idea.”

  


Hank looked around the library, and nodded approvingly. The room was small, maybe six hundred feet in all, but was comfortably furnished with two straight-backed upholstered chairs with ottomans and a long couch, and all the walls, floor to ceiling, were shelved with books.  
  
“Am I in trouble?” Illyana asked, as they seated themselves.  
  
Hank looked at her blankly. “What makes you say that?”  
  
Illyana made a face. “Usually, if the professor or one of the teachers asks to see me privately, it’s because I’ve done something wrong.”  
  
“Ah.”  
  
“To be fair, most of the time, I _have_ done something wrong.”  
  
“Illyana, I’ve been on the campus a little more than half an hour,” Hank remonstrated gently, giving her a reassuring smile. “Might I be allowed the courtesy of giving you the benefit of the doubt? At least for my first day?”  
  
Illyana relaxed slightly.  
  
“Doctor MacTaggert tells me you’re a teleporter.”  
  
“Yes, that’s right.”  
  
“Could I prevail upon you to give me a quick demonstration?”  
  
“You want to see me ‘port?”  
  
“If you wouldn’t mind. Just pop out into the living room, and then back in here, if that’s all right. Quick as you like.”  
  
Illyana was bewildered by the request, but saw no reason to refuse. “All right.”  
  
She teleported away, and when she returned, Hank was holding a small diagnostic instrument in one hand, which he was consulting as she re-appeared. He seemed pleased.  
  
Illyana frowned in puzzlement. “Was this some kind of test?”  
  
“A test? Yes. Yes, it was. But I wasn’t testing you.” He put the device away. “Illyana, I called you in here because, frankly, I need your help.”  
  
_”My_ help?”  
  
“As I’m sure you’re aware, Mr. Worthington will be here the day after tomorrow. Doctor MacTaggert and I will be going over to the main campus with him. The purpose of our visit will be to secure the mansion for a long term, perhaps indefinite, vacancy.” He paused for a moment. “How long has it been, since you last saw your brother?”  
  
Illyana was caught off-guard by the question. “Almost two months.”  
  
“You must miss him terribly.”  
  
“Yes. I do.”  
  
Hank nodded somberly. “I worked alongside your brother for many years. I consider him a friend. And Charles Xavier is as much a father to me, as my own father. Our friends and family have vanished, Illyana. We need to do something about it.”  
  
Illyana gaped at Hank McCoy in astonishment. Whatever she might have envisioned for a first interview with her new professor, this certainly wasn’t it.  
  
“Tomorrow, I’m going to pay a visit to the mansion,” Hank announced. “I intend to get to the bottom of this. And I’d like very much if you’d come with me. Your teleporting abilities could be of immense help.”  
  
“You think... you can find my brother?” Illyana almost didn’t dare ask the question.  
  
“I think there are some tests that you and I can run, that might determine what has happened to him. And the rest of the X-Men.” Hank’s expression became grave. “I can promise nothing, Illyana. We may find nothing. Or, we may find a terrible answer we were not seeking. But I give you my word, I won’t ever stop looking - not until we’ve found them.”  
  
Illyana often thought that her heart had long ago been shattered into hundreds, if not thousands, of unrecoverable pieces. So she was astonished to feel it breaking again.  
  
“I will do whatever you ask,” she cried.  
  
“That’s good,” Hank McCoy smiled. “I’m glad to know I can count on your help. After breakfast tomorrow, you and I will go over to the mansion together. Just the two of us. I’ll inform Doctor MacTaggert, so you won’t need to worry about explaining your absence from the annex. For the time being, please do not share any details of our conversation with anyone else.”  
  
“I won’t,” Illyana promised, and uncharacteristically for her, she meant it.  
  
Hank smiled again. “Good. For now, you’re excused. I’ll see you again with the other students at dinner.”  
  
As Illyana exited the library, Dani and Moira were still standing in the living room nearby. They looked at her questioningly. Illyana briefly mimed crossing her heart, and then a fluttering gesture, intended to express elated joy. Then she turned, pelted for the stairwell, and raced up the steps, as fast as she could go. Dani and Moira stared after her in open-mouthed astonishment.  
  
Hank McCoy came out of the library a few moments later. He beamed on the two women as he emerged.  
  
“Ah. Dani. Thank you for waiting,” he said cordially. “Now, I believe we have enough time before dinner for you to show me where everything is around here?”

* * * 

Dani Moonstar decided this was definitely a night to go to bed early. While she was delighted to have a new professor, suddenly having to expend energy adjusting to a new person in the house was surprisingly tiring. And of course, there had been her long conversation with Illy. Again, she was happy that Illy had agreed to help. But after the events of the day, she just felt sapped of strength, and as soon as politeness allowed, she retired to her bedroom. Only a few minutes after she had crawled into bed, Rahne Sinclair joined her.  
  
“I think I’m going to like our new professor,” Rahne declared, as she carelessly discarded her clothing in heaps around the room. She slid under the covers and nuzzled up to Dani. “What do you think?”  
  
“What, about Professor McCoy? I like him. Obviously, I just met him. But he seems nice enough. I don’t think he’ll be quite as stern as Professor Xavier.”  
  
“That’s not a bad thing,” Rahne declared. “I always felt a little... I dunno... anxious around Professor Xavier.”  
  
“The burden of absolute responsibility rests with each of us,” Dani said, mimicking the Professor’s voice as best she could.  
  
Rahne giggled. “Exactly. And of course, I was always worried he was reading my mind.”  
  
“And we both know there’s only one thing on your mind,” Dani teased gently.  
  
Rahne’s response was a passionate kiss.  
  
“I love his blue fur,” she said, when they finally came up for air.  
  
Dani giggled. “Rahne, you love _anything_ with fur.”  
  
Rahne playfully slid her hand between Dani’s thighs in answer, and Dani yelped with surprise. She started to climb on top of Rahne, but Rahne pushed her back, and lay on top of her instead.  
  
“Oh, so you want to be on top tonight, do you?” Dani asked, still giggling. “Will that make my beautiful wolf girl happy?”  
  
“Yeah,” Rahne declared.  
  
They shared a long, lingering kiss.  
  
“So, what were you and Illy talking about today?” Rahne asked, her hot breath mingled with Dani’s.  
  
“Me and Illy?”  
  
“I saw you. Out on the back porch. You guys were out there a really long time. You must have been talking about something.”  
  
Dani hesitated. It would be awkward, bringing up her demon bear challenge. But at this point in their relationship, Dani had never once lied to Rahne about anything, and she wasn’t about to start now. She swallowed hard.  
  
“I told Illy that I wanted to summon the demon bear, and I wanted her to be there to stop it if I couldn’t control it.”  
  
Rahne was instantly aghast. “You did WHAT?!”  
  
“I asked her to fight me, my bear against her soul sword. So I can learn how to control my projections.”  
  
“Dani, have you lost your mind?!” Rahne raised herself up on one arm so she could look down into Dani’s face. “I do NOT approve!”  
  
“What?” Dani was astonished at Rahne’s reaction.  
  
“No, Dani, no! This is ridiculous! I am NOT about to let Illy cut you to pieces with that freaky glowing sword of hers!”  
  
Dani put a finger to Rahne’s lips, shushing her.  
  
“Indoor voice, sweetie, indoor voice,” she murmured. “We really don’t need everyone in the house to hear.”  
  
Rahne hesitated for only a moment, then continued, but in a much quieter voice.  
  
“I’m not having it, Dani, I’m not,” she declared. “This is a bad idea. No. Not bad. It’s _stupid!”_  
  
Dani was astounded. She thought she’d seen every possible mood from her lover - but this was something new, an agitation bordering on genuine anger. She’d often seen Rahne worried or upset or sad - but never furious. This was thin ice, indeed.  
  
“Rahne...”  
  
“Dani, no. I’m not about to let you do this - this - this incredibly stupid thing! In fact,” she declared, with sudden conviction, “I forbid it.”  
  
Dani’s eyes went wide with astonishment. “You’re _forbidding_ me?”  
  
“Yes. Yes, I am,” Rahne said adamantly, even a little surprised at herself.  
  
Dani’s mouth fell open. She’d touched a nerve for certain. Never before had Rahne out-and-out vetoed any actions they might take, as individuals or as a couple. Until now. This was an unprecedented, decisive assertion of her own voice in their relationship. More significantly, Rahne had drawn a very clear line in the sand on this particular topic, and if Dani had any sense at all, she dared not cross that line. And after a long moment to process her shock, she did the only thing she could do.  
  
She stepped back.  
  
“Okay,” she said simply.  
  
“Okay?” Rahne seemed bemused at Dani’s sudden capitulation.  
  
“Okay,” Dani repeated. “I won’t do it.”  
  
“You won’t?”  
  
“If you say no, then that means no. I won’t do it.”  
  
“You really mean that?”  
  
“Rahne... when I need to make a choice about anything, the very first thing I’m going to consider is how you feel about it,” Dani said. “If this choice distresses you, then it’s not on. I’ll just have to find some other way to approach the problem - one that will meet with your approval.”  
  
“Oh! Ahh... well... all right, then. Good,” Rahne said, suddenly uncertain if her victory was actually a good thing or not. “Was... was that our first fight?”  
  
“Well... definitely our first disagreement,” Dani grinned. “Honestly, Rahne, I really didn’t think you’d react this way. If I’d have known, I would never have approached Illy about it. But now that you’ve raised your objection, I’ll look for something else.”  
  
“Why would you even think of doing such a thing?”  
  
Dani sighed. “I guess I feel...” she gave a helpless shrug. “If I can’t ever control my powers, then... I don’t really have a future,” she confessed. “And if I don’t have a future, then how can _we_ have one? And I _want_ that future with you, Rahne. Nothing is more important to me. I have no idea where our lives are going to lead us. All I know is, whatever happens, I want to be with you. And I feel that the odds of that happening are so much better if I’m not crippled by a power I can’t control.”  
  
“Is that really how you see yourself?” Rahne asked, dismayed. “Crippled?”  
  
“Yeah, I guess I kinda do,” Dani said sadly. “Somehow, I have to beat this thing, Rahne. I need to control it, because in a very real sense, this isn’t even about the bear. It’s about me.” She reached up and gently ran her fingertips at the scars on Rahne’s neck. “I never want anything like this to happen again.”  
  
“Dani, I’ve forgiven you for that,” Rahne said plaintively. “Always have. Always will. Will you never forgive yourself?”  
  
“Rahne, if I hadn’t forgiven myself, I couldn’t even be in the same room with you,” Dani declared. “I want to know joy with you. So much of our lives is just... pain. Pain and sorrow. I don’t want that for us. I hurt you before. And I’m afraid - desperately afraid - that I might hurt you again, without ever meaning to. I can’t live like that. I won’t.”  
  
Tears were filling Dani’s eyes. Rahne placed her hand on Dani’s breast and squeezed gently, in a gesture meant not to arouse, but to comfort.  
  
“You would never hurt me,” she murmured.  
  
“Not intentionally,” Dani agreed sadly. “But I always have a reminder that my good intentions are not enough.”  
  
She placed a hand at Rahne’s neck, rubbing her fingers tenderly over the ugly scar tissue.  
  
Rahne looked down at Dani in dismay. She realized that Dani’s best chance for future happiness resided with her acceptance of Dani’s difficult choice. No, not just her happiness. Any chance they both had of a fulfilled life. She couldn’t recant her decision, not yet. But she could relent.  
  
“I... need time to think about this,” she said quietly.  
  
Dani nodded. “Take all the time you need.”  
  
“We’ll figure this out.” Rahne’s voice was whisper soft. “We’ll make it right.”  
  
This, too, was something new - there was now an assurance, even a quiet confidence in Rahne’s voice that had never been there before. She was turning into a mature young woman right before Dani’s eyes - no longer as innocent, but so much stronger in her will, and yet somehow remaining every bit as kind - a metamorphosis as fluid and miraculous as Rahne’s assuming her lupine form. Dani felt her heart racing with exhilaration.  
  
“I love you, Dani Moonstar,” Rahne whispered.  
  
“I love you, Rahne Sinclair,” Dani whispered back. “With all my heart.”  
  
Rahne let herself slowly settle on top of Dani, kissing her, gently at first, then with greater passion and quickly growing desire.  
  
For a time, the subject of the demon bear was forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

It was shortly after 9 AM when Hank McCoy and Illyana Rasputin arrived at the main campus of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. As Hank exited the truck cab, he looked up at the mansion, and shook his head sadly.

“Charles, Charles, Charles,” he murmured. “What did you get yourself into this time, I wonder.”

“Would you like me to start unloading, Professor?” Illyana asked, joining him. 

“Let me carry the bags into the house,” Hank suggested. “They’re rather heavy. But certainly, you can help me set up the equipment.”

For the next few moments, Hank shuttled back and forth between the truck bed and the foyer of the mansion. Each of the bags he brought in looked like an oversized golf bag. The last item he brought in was a massive hard shell case, which he opened and set on a folding stool. Inside was a monitor and keyboard - although the item itself was evidently not a computer of any kind. 

He knelt down beside one of the bags, opened it, and started taking out long, slender silver pipes, with collapsed legs at the base and a curious, button-like attachment at the other end. 

“Here,” he said, handing it to Illyana. “The base is just a set of tripod legs that pop out from the sides. You’ll see the release there,” he pointed. “We want to set these things up in every room on the ground floor. More or less randomly, about eight feet apart.”

Illyana experimented with the release button, and the collapsible stand obligingly extended with a loud click. 

“What are these things?” she asked, curious.

“Oh, they’re just sensor probes. They record data and transfer it to my monitoring station.” He indicated the squat, bulky apparatus in front of him. “I also have the portable unit that you saw yesterday. But it’s not nearly as powerful or as accurate as this setup will be.”

“Yeah, but what are you monitoring? And what do you need me for?”

“When you teleport, your ‘stepping disc’ - is that the correct term?” he asked, and Illyana nodded. “Your ‘stepping disc’ creates a brief atmospheric disturbance. And not just atmospheric. There’s a localized gravimetric disturbance as well. When Doctor Richards and Doctor Strange conducted their tests, no anomalies were detected. But they were running their tests in a perfectly still space, where nothing had been disturbed for several days. It’s possible that traces of whatever happened to the X-Men may linger, but without further disruption, they may not be detectable. So we are going to try to create enough of a localized disturbance to reactivate any traces.”

“I still don’t understand.”

Hank gave her a conspiratorial grin. “Illyana... you and I are going to try to stir up some shit.”

Surprised at his answer, Illyana stared at him blankly for a moment. Slowly, a wide grin spread across her face. “I think I’m going to like working with you, Professor.”

It took them several minutes to unload and distribute the probes around the ground floor. When Illyana returned to the main hallway, Hank was standing in front of the monitor, typing in some commands at the keyboard, frowning in concentration.

“All set, Professor.”

“Thank you, Illyana. I’ll be ready for you in just a few moments. What I’ll be asking you to do today is to make random ‘jumps’ from room to room, and I’ll need you to vary the speed and frequency of those jumps, when I tell you. That won’t be any problem for you, I trust.”

“No, that sounds simple enough.”

“Can you go anywhere you want, with your teleporting power?” 

Illyana seemed bemused by the question. “Sure. Yeah. I mean, I guess so.”

“What’s the furthest you’ve ever been?”

“Hawaii,” Illyana admitted with a sheepish smile. “I like the beaches there. And the surfer boys.”

Hank did his best to suppress a smile of his own. “So, in the blink of an eye, you could literally send yourself to any other part of the planet, and stay there as long as you like.”

“Yeah.”

“And yet, you choose to stay here.”

Illyana shrugged. “Where else would I go?”

Hank set down his equipment for a moment, and regarded her thoughtfully. “Why _do_ you stay here, Illyana? As you said yourself, you could be sitting on a beach in Hawaii, sipping cocktails and ogling surfer boys. What keeps you here? I’m curious.”

Illyana mulled over the question for a long moment before answering. “Professor... most of your students have killed somebody,” she began haltingly. “Maybe even killed a lot of people. But none of them ever did it on purpose. If somebody died, it was always an accident. But not me. I have murdered people. I mean, for real. And... I _liked_ doing it. And most of the time, I have no regrets about it.”

Illyana gave him a furtive glance. Hank did not give any indication of being shocked or dismayed, or even outraged. He was simply listening, without passing judgment.

“So when I say I’m a murderer, or a monster, I’m not just being a teenage drama queen. And I’m not bullshitting. I really _am_ those things. But... since I came here, to Xavier’s... my - my friends...” she halted, momentarily overwhelmed by the significance of the word. “I have... friends here,” she said at last, almost astonished at the realization. “And when they look at me, they don’t see the monster, or the mass murderer. They just see _me._ They see Illyana. I mean, sure, they see someone is who is _really_ fucked up...” she choked back something that could have been a laugh, or a sob. “But they’re not afraid of me, and they don’t hate me, even when I act more like a demon than a person. They just accept me. I don’t know anywhere else I could go, and find that - the feeling that I _belong_ somewhere. I want that. No way I deserve it, but I want it. And I want to hold onto that, for as long as I can. I guess I stay because my friends make me feel... human.”

“That’s a very good reason,” Hank agreed solemnly. “Okay, Illyana, I think we’re ready to start. Think of this as a game of hopscotch. I want you to start teleporting from room to room. Pick any room at random for your next destination. And double back to the same room, every now and then. To start, let’s keep the ‘ports at regular intervals, say, about twenty seconds?”

Illyana stared at Hank McCoy for a long moment. Apparently, he wasn’t going to make anything of Illyana’s very casual confession to multiple murders - at least for now. She decided not to question that decision. That was one demon bear she preferred to leave soundly sleeping.

“Sure,” she agreed. “How long do you want me to keep ‘porting?”

“I’ll call out to you, when I need you to stop.”

“Okay.”

“And begin... now.” Hank pressed a button on the keyboard, to initiate the recording of raw data as it was transmitted from the probes.

Illyana teleported casually from one room to another, randomly, as Hank had asked. First, she visited the kitchen. Then the library. Then halfway up the stairwell that led to the upper floors. Laundry room. Living room. Living room again. Library.

“Illyana,” Hank called out, “Please come back to the foyer for a moment.”

Seconds later, Illyana reappeared from one of her stepping discs. Hank was frowning at the data on the monitor screen, clearly puzzled.

“Illyana, when you teleport, are all your arrivals conterminous with local time?” he asked.

“I’m not sure I understand, Professor.”

“You don’t time travel? You don’t, for example, suddenly find yourself ten minutes into the future, or five years into the past?”

Illyana seemed utterly bewildered by the question. “I’ve never actually noticed,” she admitted. “But as far as I know, wherever I go, it’s always local time and it’s always now.”

“Hmm.” Hank rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Do me a favor. Start the sequence again, only this time, teleport to any of the rooms on the upper floors.”

“I could visit my brother’s bedroom,” Illyana suggested. “Or Katya’s.”

“That would be ideal,” Hank agreed. “Give me just a moment to restart the recording. Okay. Just as before, begin with rooms on the ground floor. After the first five or six ‘jumps’, start alternating back and forth between rooms on the ground floor, and those on the upper floors.”

“Sure thing.”

Illyana began her porting sequence again, hopping around randomly to the rooms on the ground floor, and after her sixth ‘jump’, she teleported herself into her brother’s bedroom.

For a long moment, Illyana stood in the still space, distracted by the familiar objects she saw all around her. The curtains were drawn across the window, so only a faint amount of light entered the room, but she recognized almost everything she saw, even if the form was in shadow or in silhouette. She felt a deep pang of heartsickness. She missed her brother, terribly. His absence left an awful, aching void in Illyana’s heart. And what was even worse, was that she had no idea what had happened to him. Or that she might never know.

“Little Snowflake...”

“GAHH!” Startled, Illyana whirled on her heel. It was her brother’s voice. She was certain of that. But there was no one in the room with her. Everything was dark and still. 

“Piotr?” she called out. “Piotr, are you there? Is that you?”

The room remained dark and silent. Heart pounding, Illyana teleported away, to the top of the stairs, then thinking better on it, returned to her brother’s room. 

“Piotr?” she called out again. “It’s me, it’s Illyana. Can you hear me? Are you there?”

There was no response. 

“Piotr, if you’re here, call out to me.”

Silence. 

Illyana found herself fighting back tears. That had been her brother’s voice, she was sure of it. She was also reasonably sure - reasonably - that she hadn’t imagined it. But whatever she had heard, it was apparently gone now. 

“Illyana?”

Very faint and far away, Illyana could hear Hank McCoy calling her. Sighing heavily, she manifested another stepping disc, and returned to the main hallway.

“Were you speaking to someone?” Hank asked, when she reappeared. “I thought I heard you calling out.”

“I thought I heard my brother’s voice,” Illyana told him. “But there’s nobody there.”

Hank seemed quite interested in that answer. “Indeed,” he murmured. “That is most intriguing.”

“What is going on here, Professor?” Illyana pleaded.

“I’m not sure yet. But I am getting some very interesting readings. Would you have any objection to running the sequence once more? Please?”

“Of course.”

As soon as Hank had reset the equipment, Illyana began her game of ‘hopscotch’ again, but ‘ported back to her brother’s room after only the third ‘jump’. Hopefully, she called out, but once again, there was no reply. Sighing, Illyana continued with the sequence, alternating between rooms on the ground floor and other living spaces on the upper floors. 

At length, she arrived in Kitty Pryde’s room. Illyana and Kitty had been friends since Illy was six. Of course, back then, Kitty would read her bedtime stories. When they reunited when Illy was thirteen, they became roommates, and intimate friends. That is, until Charles Xavier arbitrarily decided that Illyana represented a danger to herself and the other students - at which point, Illy found herself abruptly whisked away to the annex, a new facility set up to house unstable and dangerous mutants. She didn’t spend much time dwelling on it, but deep in her heart, Illyana had never forgiven Xavier for that cold betrayal. For that’s what it felt like then - and still felt like now. 

Standing in Kitty’s room brought a lot of those old memories, and some very ugly feelings, right back to the surface. Suddenly finding herself shaking with anger, Illyana went into the small, private bathroom to splash some water on her face - and saw Kitty Pryde herself staring at her from the vanity mirror. 

“Katya?” Illyana cried out, hardly daring to believe what she was seeing. “Katya!”

Kitty seemed to be every bit as startled as Illyana, but a moment later, began shouting frantically to her. Yet no sound came out of the mirror. 

“Katya, I can’t hear you,” Illyana pleaded, pointing her ear and miming that same message. After a moment, Kitty seemed to realize that whatever she said couldn’t be heard, and began to mime something with her hands. As abruptly as she had appeared, she vanished; and Illyana was staring again at her own reflection. 

“Professor?” Illyana called out at the top of her lungs, almost a screech. _“PROFESSOR?!”_

Hank McCoy bounded up the stairwell as only he could, and moments later, joined Illyana in Kitty’s bedroom. Illyana pointed towards the bathroom.

“I saw her,” she gasped, barely able to get the words out. “I saw Katya. In there. In the mirror.”

Hank McCoy pushed past her and hurried into the small bathroom. He took out the portable monitoring unit attached to his belt clip and pointed it at the mirror.

“She was really there, Professor, I swear it. I wasn’t dreaming,” Illyana gibbered, not exactly frightened, but definitely unnerved.

“I believe you.” Hank consulted the readings on the portable unit, and nodded in satisfaction. 

“Professor, what is going on here?” Illyana pleaded.

Hank returned the portable device to his belt clip. “Come with me, Illyana. We need to set up some additional probes on the upper floors. I think I know what’s happening. A few more tests should confirm it.”

Quickly, the two of them hurried away. 

* * * 

Dani was curled up in the corner of the long couch in the living room, on the end closest to the fireplace. She had her required reading in hand, but she was only desultorily flipping through the pages; her mind was not on the text. To her surprise, Rahne came into the room, fully dressed and in her human form. Normally at this point in the day, she would be making the rounds of the house as a wolf. With a subdued smile, she sat on the couch next to Dani, drawing her legs up underneath her, Indian style. 

“Hey,” Dani greeted her, setting her book on the coffee table. 

“Hey, yourself.”

“What’s going on? I was kind of expecting to see your wolf-self about now.”

“Yeah. But my wolf-self can’t talk,” Rahne answered. “I was wondering... I was _hoping_... you might be in the mood for an apology.”

Dani sat up. “An apology? What for?”

Rahne squirmed with embarrassment. “I kinda freaked out on you last night.”

“Oh, Rahne, no. You don’t need to be sorry about that.”

“Yeah, well... once I got over the shock, and started thinking about what you actually said, I realized you were right. You need to do this.”

“Rahne...”

“I’m still not comfortable with it,” Rahne admitted. “But I understand why you need to do it, so... I want to take back my forbids.”

Dani pulled Rahne close, and kissed her cheek. 

“Thank you,” she murmured, and then she smiled. “To be fair, a demon bear is kind of a valid thing to get freaked out about.”

“Maybe. But just yelling at you wasn’t very helpful. I’m sorry, Dani.”

“I’m sorry too. I really should have thought of some better way to tell you, than just slapping you in the face with it. That was pretty rude.”

“No, no, I’m glad you told me the truth. It was a little hard to hear. But I don’t ever want you to feel like you need to lie to me about anything - or that I’m punishing you for being honest.”

“You don’t. But thanks. It really means a lot to me, that you’re willing to support my decision, even if you don’t agree with it.”

“Oh, I agree with the decision,” Rahne said. “I just don’t like it.”

Dani gave her a rueful smile. “You’ve got me there. Not much to like about that choice, huh? Honestly, Rahne, I wish I knew what else to do. I wish there was something else - _anything_ else - I could do to make it safer. But I can’t think of anything. For what it’s worth, this isn’t happening without help and support from Doctor MacTaggert and the Professor. I need their buy-in to make this work. And maybe they can come up with some way to make it less dangerous.”

“That makes me feel a little better,” Rahne allowed. “Have you asked them yet?”

Dani shook her head. “When I have my one-on-one with the Professor, I’ll ask him then. And then ask Doctor MacTaggert.”

“What did Illy say, when you asked her? I just assume she said, yes.”

Dani shrugged. “You know Illy. She said she’d be happy to kick my ass.”

“You’ll kick _her_ ass,” Rahne scoffed.

“I dunno. She’s way stronger than me. Better fighter, too. But that’s good. I know I can cut loose and not have to worry about hurting her.”

“I just don’t want Illy to hurt you. Even by accident. I would kinda like to see you beat her up, though,” she confided shyly.

“The goal isn’t to win the fight,” Dani pointed out. “The goal is to try to make sure my power only manifests when I consciously direct it. Once I get the hang of it, the risk level goes way down. What I _really_ want is to be able to stop getting a syringe full of medicine in my arm every day. That’s the real goal.”

“That’s a good goal,” Rahne agreed.

“Hey,” Dani said softly, taking Rahne’s hand and squeezing it. “I’m glad you care enough to get up in my face when you think something’s wrong. Please, don’t ever stop doing that. I will always need that from you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

She hugged Rahne again, more tightly than before, then gave her a lustful smile. 

“Think anybody will notice, if we just disappeared for, say, forty-five minutes?”

“They might notice,” Rahne allowed. “But as long as we’re not late for class or lunch, I don’t think anybody minds.”

“Let’s disappear, then.”

Rahne’s reply was a breathy kiss on Dani’s lips. “Invisible girls, that’s us.”

Hand in hand, the lovers walked towards the stairwell.


	4. Chapter 4

“What do you mean, they’re still there?”

Moira MacTaggert stared incredulously at Hank McCoy.

“I mean, they’re still there,” Hank insisted. “Charles, the X-Men, the other teachers and students... they never left. They’re still on campus.”

“Then where the hell _are_ they?”

Hank and Illyana had returned from the mansion, and were now sitting in the annex kitchen with Doctor MacTaggert, discussing their findings.

“It’s not a question of _where_ they are, so much as _when_ they are. There has been a massive temporal shift inside the mansion, and I mean massive. Even the building itself, and all the fixtures and furniture, everything is practically fizzing with energy, as if everything had been... well... somehow fast-forwarded in time.”

“But what does that mean?” Moira asked. “Where are the _people?_ Are they in the past? The future? How do we reach them, and bring them home?”

“I’m sorry, Moira. I really have no idea. I’ve never seen anything even remotely like this before. It’s completely unprecedented in my knowledge. And before you ask, no, I can’t invent a time machine to go chasing after them. But I did see something that gives me hope.”

“And what is that?”

“This event - whatever it is - appears to be correcting itself. In the short time that Illyana and I were at the mansion, we took several different sets of readings, and the chronological shift showed a very slight change from the earliest readings to the latest ones. I’ll go back tomorrow to take another set of readings to verify this. If it’s true, we may not need to do anything at all, except wait it out.”

“But are they still alive?” Illyana asked, and it was obvious from her expression that she was terrified of the answer. 

Hank gave her a reassuring smile. “Yes, Illyana, I think they are. Your teleporting caused just enough of a disruption to give us an eye-blink into whatever temporal location the students are in.”

“You mean, when I saw Katya in the mirror.”

Hank nodded. “From Kitty’s perspective, you just suddenly appeared as a reflection in her mirror, as if you’d popped out of nowhere. If I’m right, then Charles, the X-Men, the other students are not only safe and well, they may not even be aware of what’s happening to them.”

“But how do we get them back?” Moira asked.

“When the event collapses, they should return on their own, without our needing to do anything at all. In this case, you might think of time as being a piece of stretched elastic. Release the elastic, and it snaps back to its original shape and position. That’s what seems to be happening now. I’ll have a better idea of what that interval might be, once I get a new set of readings tomorrow. Illyana, I hope you won’t mind if I borrow you again.”

“No, of course not.”

Moira sat back in her chair and sighed heavily. “Well, if they’re still alive, and returning soon, that’s the best news we could hope for. Any idea what caused it?”

Hank made a helpless gesture. “Your guess is as good as mine, Moira. I’ve seen a lot of strange things in my day. This event is pretty much unique.”

“Is it being done deliberately?”

“Now that’s an excellent question. I have absolutely no data that would support an answer, but my gut feeling has to be yes. Human beings are rather like the inhabitants of ‘Flatland’ with regard to time. We only perceive time in linear fashion, and understand its motion in only one direction. But both the X-Men and the Avengers have encountered beings for whom the perception of time - and its manipulation - far exceeded our own abilities and understanding. And this sort of manipulation just doesn’t seem to be something that would occur naturally. Even if you were standing next to a black hole, there would be many other very obvious signs that disruptions were occurring, apart from the compression of time itself. This is targeted. I’d bet money on it.”

“Is it malevolent?”

Hank shrugged. “Unknown.”

“So, what do we do?”

“Collect more data. Analyze. Theorize.” Hank grinned at Moira’s exasperated look. “Oh, come on, Moira, surely that was the answer you expected out of me, at least.”  
  
“Is there anything else we can do?”

“For the moment, no. But once I have more data, I’ll certainly share those findings with you.”

“Excuse me, Doctor MacTaggert? Professor?” Dani Moonstar rapped lightly at the entryway to the kitchen. “Sorry. It sounded like you were having a private conversation. Is it okay to come in?”

“Yes, please, Dani, by all means,” Hank answered. “And always assume the kitchen is open to you. If Doctor MacTaggert or I needed to have a confidential conversation, we’d conduct it in her office, or my study, behind closed doors.”

“Oh. Good. Just wanted to be sure.” She came into the room and took a seat at the table. “Actually, I’m glad all three of you are here. I need to ask you something. Something important.”

“What is it, Dani?” Moira asked. 

“I want to try practicing my mutant powers, and... I think I have found a way to do it. At least, temporarily.”

“Please elaborate,” Hank said, leaning forward in his chair. 

Dani glanced over at Illyana, and they shared a quick smile. “Illy has agreed to help me with... a practice session. I want to try to consciously summon one of my projections. Illy will interact with it. The goal is to see if I can control the projection, always keep it under my guidance, and then dissipate it. I asked for Illy’s help because if I lose control, out of all the students, she knows best how to defend herself, and can fight back against anything I conjure.”

“That sounds terribly dangerous, Dani,” Moira murmured with concern. 

“I know. We would need to do this in isolation. Just the four of us. I don’t want any of the other students nearby - just in case I have trouble controlling my powers. I might reach into their heads and start pulling out their worst nightmares.”

“And what’s to prevent you from pulling anything out of _our_ heads?”

“Well... worst case scenario, you can hit me with a tranquilizer dart,” Dani said, trying not to grimace at her own suggestion. “That would keep any other projections from forming. And Illy would be more than capable of dispatching any projection still standing after I lose consciousness. I’m hoping it won’t come to that,” she added quickly, seeing Hank and Moira exchanging worried looks. “The idea here is for me to concentrate on a single projection only, and not allowing anything else to manifest.”

Moira’s expression was that of someone who had swallowed something revolting. “I’m not sure this is a good idea, Dani.”

“If you have a better idea, I’d love to hear it. I need to learn how to control this power, Doctor MacTaggert. Otherwise, I have to get doped up every day for the rest of my life. I don’t want that. I don’t think you do, either.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” Moira agreed.

“At least if I have the three of you helping, there’s a much better chance of success. We can put safeguards in place. We’ll have a plan to shut everything down, if I can’t control my projection.”

Hank looked over at Moira. “Dani is the one student for whom you don’t have any detailed, first-hand data regarding her powers,” he reminded her. “An experiment like this would be the ideal opportunity for you to establish and collate a reliable baseline.”  
  
Moira mulled that response over for a long moment. “Hank, I think now would be that perfect time for a confidential conversation in my office.”

“Yes, certainly.”

As the adults rose, Moira turned to Dani and Illyana. “Don’t go anywhere,” she said. “We won’t be gone long.”

Illyana waited for several moments after Hank and Moira had left, then turned to Dani. “I notice you didn’t mention anything about a demon bear.”

“Illy, if Doctor MacTaggert heard the words ‘demon bear’ coming out of my mouth, then she would have put a hard ‘NO’ on the whole thing, and that would be the end of it.”

“You’re probably right,” Illyana agreed.

“Besides, sometimes, you need to ask for forgiveness, not permission. You taught me that.”

“I did?” Illyana feigned surprise. 

Dani grinned. “Yes. You did.”

“Wow,” Illyana nodded approvingly. “I’m really smart.”

As Moira and Hank entered the office, he closed the door behind them.

“I know you’re skittish about this, Moira, but...”

“Skittish?” Moira snorted. “Hank, the girls want to _fight._ Dani wants to conjure that demon bear, and Illy wants to carve it into lunch meat. You don’t know these girls. I do, and I know what they’re planning. This is simply too dangerous to allow.”

Hank sat in the chair across from Moira, and smiled at her. 

“You know, when Charles first opened the school, there was no such thing as a ‘Danger Room’,” he said. “There were no real practice facilities, as such. And certainly nothing a mutant with super-powers could use for training purposes. So you know how Charles trained us? He turned us loose on each other. We would go out on the basketball court, or into the gym, and spend hours just beating the crap out of each other. We had all kinds of bruises, scratches, scrapes, cuts, black eyes, dislocated and hyper-extended joints - and more than a few broken noses. I think of all the original X-Men, Jean was the only one who graduated without a deviated septum.” 

He sighed, remembering, and then refocused on the topic at hand. “They are asking for our help, Moira. Maybe they _are_ planning to beat the hell out of one another. But they’re requesting supervision, and oversight. That tells me they’ve done their own risk assessment, and that they’re aware and appreciative of the dangers. Frankly, that’s behavior I think we should encourage, and reward. If they want to practice their powers, that’s the _raison d’etre_ for the school right there. I’d much rather work with them in a supervised setting, than have them test their abilities behind our backs, and maybe get into some kind of trouble we couldn’t help them out of.”

“You’re right,” Moira conceded reluctantly. “Of course you’re right.”

“Bruises and cuts heal. They’re a perfectly acceptable trade-off for knowledge and experience gained. I’m actually very impressed - and rather relieved - that Dani is openly asking for adult authority figures to keep things from getting out of hand. You’re right. She’s mature beyond her years. So let’s reward her for that.” He gave her a wry smile. “And do our best to keep them from killing each other.”


	5. Chapter 5

The following morning, after breakfast, Dani gathered the students together to inform them of her plan. They all listened attentively, and Dani noted with relief that everyone seemed to approve of it. 

“Anyway, that’s the story, you guys,” she concluded. “As soon as the serum wears off, Illy and I will have our throw down in the big field behind the house.”

“But can’t we watch?” Rahne protested.

“I’m sorry, Rahne. This first time, it’s just too risky. I need all you guys to promise me - really promise - you’ll stay clear of the field while the fight is going on. I won’t know if I can keep my power from pulling your worst nightmares out of your heads. It’s just safer if you keep away. So... please? Promise me?”

Reluctantly, all the students nodded.

“Hopefully, if this works, then you’ll have lots of opportunities to see me using my powers,” Dani assured them. “Doctor MacTaggert will stop giving me the serum starting tomorrow. If any of you guys suddenly notice weird dreams or nightmares in the next of couple of nights, I need you to say something, right away. It’s still possible my subconscious could go walkabout at night, and start looking through your minds for bad stuff to conjure. We don’t want a repeat of my first week at Xavier’s.”

“No, we sure don’t,” Sam agreed grimly.

“Why? What happened?” Amara asked, genuinely curious.

“It was just like she said,” Roberto answered. “Her power found all our worst nightmares and made them real. And by the way, you’ve got some really weird shit going on inside that head of yours, Illy.”

Illyana was about to protest, but then she shrugged, conceding the point. “Well... that’s what a demon upbringing does for you,” she said. “At least my nightmares are interesting.”

“Interesting is _not_ the word we’d use,” Roberto scoffed. 

“Anyway, we’re all rooting for you, Dani,” Amara interjected, changing the subject. “I really hope this works for you. I want this to go as well for you, as when you guys helped me.”

“Yeah, Dani, we want you to be able to come back to the house, and tell us you’ve got that bear on a leash,” Sam said.

“And then show us,” Roberto added.

Dani glanced over at Illyana. “Hey, I’m rooting for you, too, honest,” Illyana said, and then she grinned wickedly. “I’m still going to kick your ass, though.”

Dani simply smiled. “If things go wrong, I’m counting on you to do that, Illy. But if things go right...”

“Yeah?”

“Then get ready to get knocked into next week.”

As all the students tittered at Dani’s playful challenge, Illy merely smiled appreciatively. “Oh, girl, it is _on,”_ she declared.

“It is kinda a shame we can’t watch,” Sam sighed.

“I know, Sam,” Dani nodded. “But hey, if this works, then not only can I spar with Illy, I can start practicing with all of you. And that would be awesome.”

“It would be nice to see you using your powers, along with the rest of us,” Roberto agreed.

Rahne gave Dani a tight hug. “This is gonna go great,” she declared. “I know it will.”

“I hope so, Rahne,” Dani answered. “I really hope so.”

Hank McCoy came into the living room. “Ah. Here you all are. Illyana, are you ready to go?”

“Yes, sir. I just need to grab my jacket.” Before she got up, she leaned over to whisper in Roberto’s ear. “One night, I’ll show you all my naughty dreams,” she said. “You’ll like those much better than the nightmares. I promise.”

Satisfied that she’d left him gobsmacked, she hurried away. 

Sam noted his friend’s reaction with a grin. “What the hell did she say to you?”

“I think we can all guess,” Dani laughed.

“Doctor MacTaggert will conduct the morning session while I’m away,” Hank told them all. “And with any luck, we’ll see you back here at the annex at lunchtime.”

“Can’t we go too, Professor?” Rahne asked plaintively.

“I’m sorry, Rahne, but no. Now that we know there’s a temporal instability within the mansion, it’s safer if everyone stays clear, until the anomaly dissipates. We’ll be as quick as we can.” He frowned to himself. “I’m sure there’s a bad pun in there somewhere. Just can’t find it.” He gave them all a friendly wave. “See you later.”  
  
“Good luck, Professor,” Dani called after him, and the students echoed the farewell.

A short time later, Hank and Illyana arrived back at the mansion, to find a large luxury sedan parked in the driveway. A slender, middle-aged man with short blonde hair and wearing a dark suit stood near the front entrance, grinning at them.

“Warren?” Hank exclaimed joyfully, as he exited the truck cab. 

“Hank McCoy. Ha, ha! You incredible Beast.”

The two men embraced in a jovial hug. Then they stood back, appraising one another.  
  
“I know, I know,” Hank grunted. “I’ve gained a few pounds.”

“Well, that’s because you sit in a lab all day,” Warren Worthington laughed. “You just need to do what I do - go flying for forty miles every morning before breakfast. Keeps you trim.” He clapped Hank on the shoulder. “Man, it is good to see you, buddy.”

“Good to see you, too. By the way - this is Illyana Rasputin,” Hank said, making introductions.

“Oh, yeah! Colossus’ little sister. I remember you,” Warren greeted her warmly, taking her hand, but then he frowned in puzzlement. “I seem to remember you a lot younger, though.”

Illyana grinned. “I grew up fast.”

“I guess so.” Warren turned back to Hank. “Where’s Moira? Not coming?”

“No. But we’ll take you over to the annex later, so you can say hello. I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow.”

“Well, when you said you maybe had some good news about Charles, I got an earlier flight.”

“I’m glad you’re here, anyway. With any luck, what we learn today may keep us from having to close up the mansion long-term.”

“That _would_ be good news,” Warren agreed. “So what the hell _is_ going on, anyway?”

“Would you believe... a time warp?”

“Isn’t that a bad song from ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’?”

“Yes, well... this one isn’t a musical number. It’s very real - but at least today, we’re no longer wasting our time chasing phantoms. The phantoms, it turns out, are our friends. Now it’s simply a question of finding ‘when’ our friends are, and when Charles and the others might return.”

“Lead the way,” Warren invited him.

They entered the mansion, and Warren looked at all the sensor probes scattered everywhere with some bemusement. 

“Well... someone’s been busy.”

Hank merely grinned. “Never undertake a scientific survey without the proper equipment.”

“You always did love the gadgets.” Warren nodded towards Illyana. “She your protégée? Gets to go on field trips, while the rest of the kids sit in the classroom?”

“No. Illyana is crucial to this experiment. In fact, without her help, I might not have discovered what was really going on.”

“Really,” Warren murmured, intrigued. “And what does she do?”

Illyana grinned at him. “Watch.”

She created one of her ‘stepping discs’, and promptly vanished within it.

“Whoa,” Warren exclaimed appreciatively.

“Illyana is every bit as special as her older brother,” Hank assured him, as he examined his monitoring equipment. 

“I guess so.”

A moment later, Illyana reappeared, and Warren smiled at her. “So. You’re a teleporter.”

“I am,” Illyana nodded. “I’m also a demon sorceress. And a psychopath. But, I like you, Mr. Worthington. So, you’re safe. For now.”

“Good to know,” Warren said uneasily, glancing questioningly at Hank. “She _is_ joking... right?”

The older man merely chuckled. “Not about the demons. All right, Illyana. The equipment’s ready. I’d like you to do the same exercise as yesterday - but I want you to change it up a little. Start visiting some rooms you haven’t already been to.”

“Can I go to Professor Xavier’s study? Or the hangar?” Illyana asked excitedly. 

“Today, no room is off limits,” Hank assured her.

“Awesome!”

“But don’t disturb anything,” Hank added quickly. “The only disruptions we want are your stepping discs. Visit as many different rooms as you can, and widen the distances as much as possible. Stop back here every tenth ‘jump’ or so, in case I need you to stop.”

“Sure thing, Professor.”

“And... go.”

Illyana promptly vanished again. 

“She’s _not_ joking about the demon sorceress thing?” Warren asked.

Hank answered without taking his eyes off the monitor in front of him. “Illyana was kidnapped by the demon Belasco when she was six. And for the next seven years, she was literally raised by demons. And frankly, she’s a remarkably well-adjusted young woman, despite that experience.”

Warren whistled low. “Peter never mentioned anything about that.”

“No reason why he would. I imagine it’s not the sort of thing one talks about. In fact, Illyana’s the reason the annex even exists. She was the very first student placed there - and still the most dangerous.”

Illyana reappeared on one of her stepping discs. “First ten jumps complete,” she reported, a little breathlessly. “Keep going?”

“Yes, please, Illyana.”

“Okay.” She vanished again. 

“Seriously. Charles built the annex - for her.” Warren shook his head, disbelieving.  
  
“Well... he didn’t build the property, no. But he needed a space to isolate certain mutants who presented an immediate danger to themselves and others.”

“So, basically he was caging kids?” Warren’s voice took on a disapproving tone.

“It’s hardly a cage. You’ll see for yourself this afternoon. But every student who is there either has severe difficulty controlling their mutant powers, or has experienced significant emotional or physical trauma as a result of using them. They really are special needs students.”

“And now, you’re looking after them.”

Hank shrugged. “The other option was to let them loose in the world. Or let someone like Magneto get ahold of them. They’re great kids, Warren. I think you’ll enjoy meeting them. But yes, they certainly need more help than your typical student.”

“And how long are you going to continue to do that?”

“For as long as I’m needed.”

Warren looked at him incredulously. “You’re just going to drop your research grant, and everything else in your life, to look after a group of kids? Kids you don’t even know.”

Hank smiled sadly. “And where would we be, I wonder, if Charles Xavier hadn’t dropped everything to look after us? There’s a time and place for everything, Warren. I have been extraordinarily blessed in my life - to have great mentors and teachers, and also, great friends. Now, it’s time to share what I have with others who have a greater need.”

Illyana returned. “Twenty jumps,” she reported, distinctly out of breath this time. 

“You’ve been busy,” Hank grinned, looking at his monitor. “Nice dispersal of disruptions, Illyana. Visiting all the forbidden places, are we?”

“Yeah,” Illyana grinned back. “But I’m not touching anything, Professor, I promise. Just looking around.”

“Well, feel free to look around for one more sweep of ten jumps. Then come back here. I think that should give me enough data to run a comparison with what we captured yesterday.”

“Sure thing.”

“No other ghosts so far?”

“No voices, no faces in mirrors. But I haven’t tried going into my brother’s room, or Katya’s.”

“Let me know if hear or see anything.”

“Will do. Back soon.” And she vanished again. 

Warren snorted mildly. “Well... nobody’s putting a teleporter like her in a cage.”

“No. The answer is never to confine the children. The answer is giving them a compelling reason to remain where they are.”

“And how do you keep someone like Illyana from wandering off?”

“Actually, I don’t. Her friends do. Here, Illyana has people whom she loves and trusts. That binds her more securely than any cage that Charles or I could ever build.”

“Almost reminds me of the five of us, when we first started.”

Hank gave him a broad grin. “Let’s go over to the annex, as soon as I’m done here,” he suggested. “I’ve been blessed to begin work with a group of young people as uncanny as we once were. Let me introduce you to them.”


	6. Chapter 6

Late afternoon arrived in Salem Center, bringing with it another quickly shifting curtain of steely-grey clouds, and a light snowfall. At the annex for Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, Hank McCoy sequestered himself in his study, going over the data collected from the mansion that morning. All the students made the most of the opportunity to take a long afternoon nap, discreetly pairing off in their bedrooms. A tranquil stillness settled about the house. Moira MacTaggert and Warren Worthington III sat together at the long kitchen table downstairs, sharing a pot of spiced tea.

“So,” Moira asked Warren, “Now you’ve met all the students. What do you think?”

Warren chuckled. “Well, they’re definitely not what I expected.”

“Really. Good or bad?”

“Oh, definitely good. They just don’t seem like kids who are traumatized.”

Moira smiled sadly. “Oh, believe me, they are. If you’d seen them triggered, you’d know. But yes, they’re very sweet, very bright kids. And very responsible. In fact, if you want to stay for dinner, Sam and Berto will be down in a little while to begin cooking.”

“Your kids double as the support staff?”

Moira shrugged. “We’ve all done what we had to. I’m just glad all the students here are as self-reliant as they are.”

“So, you and Hank are planning to hold down the fort here. For as long as it takes? No matter what happens?”

“Well... until such time as the students no longer need us, yes.”

“That could be a long while, Moira.”

“I’m aware of that.”

Warren thought that over. “Well, whatever you need in terms of financial support, all you need do is ask. I’ll make sure you’re funded. Equipment, supplies, groceries, water and gas bills, whatever.”

“I can’t thank you enough for volunteering. Right now, everything is still funded through the accounts Charles set up for the school. But that funding could get shut off at any time.”

“You haven’t told anyone, I’m assuming.”

“No. But sooner or later, people are going to start noticing that a large group of students and teachers have gone missing. Even for a very private school like Xavier’s. And questions will be asked.” Moira made a helpless gesture. “And I have no answers.”

“Well, let’s hope Hank comes up with something.”

Just at that moment, Hank McCoy burst into the kitchen, his face lit up with an elated smile.

“Three weeks,” he said triumphantly.

“Three weeks what?” Warren asked.

“Three weeks. That’s how long the anomaly will last.” He took a seat at the table. “I’ve compared three sets of readings, and the rate of contraction remains consistent. As long as it proceeds at its current rate, then three weeks from now, the mansion - and presumably everyone in it - will return to local, conterminous time. Everything will be back in the here and now.”

“And what happens then?”

“I’m hoping we can walk into the mansion, everyone will have returned, and we can ask them what the hell happened.”

“Three weeks, huh?” Warren said. “No way you could, I dunno, speed things up?”

“Warren, please. I’m not Tony Stark. I don’t sit around in my basement building time machines as a hobby.”

Warren grinned. “Not yet, you don’t.”

Moira sighed. “Well... at least it’s not three years. Or three decades.”

“Maybe this is great news,” Warren suggested. “Three weeks from now, you guys could be off the hook. Go back to your lives. I mean, as long as Charles and everyone else comes back safe and well.”

“My job was already here,” Moira pointed out. 

“Yeah, but you could give up the full time den mother part.” Warren looked over at Hank. “And you could go back to playing with the big brains at Yale.”

“I could, yes,” Hank said thoughtfully. 

“You’re thinking of staying?”

“I don’t know. I suppose when I made the commitment, I just assumed I might be here for a while. I’m not sure I would mind staying in any case. Although, certainly it would be easier if Charles returns, and we have the full infrastructure of Xavier’s to draw on for support.”

“What do we tell the students?” Moira asked Hank.

“For now...” Hank frowned, thinking. “Let’s keep it simple. We can certainly tell them that the anomaly is decreasing. But no more than that. I certainly don’t want to raise any false hopes. And until we have definite signs one way or another, the mansion should remain off-limits. There could be any number of temporal vortices still active inside the building, and we certainly don’t need any other students vanishing.” He looked around, puzzled. “Speaking of vanishing students, where is everyone?”

“Probably asleep. Cold winter afternoons have become unofficial nap time around here. Even for the teachers,” Moira confessed with a smile. “The sun just vanishes and so do we. Don’t worry, come suppertime, there will be a very hungry and very noisy throng in the kitchen. I hope you’ll stay, Warren,” she added. “If you want to see what living at the school is really like, sit through a meal with all the students. That’ll give you the full experience.”

“I think I might,” Warren nodded. “If you have another place at the table, that is.”

Moira smiled warmly. “There’s always room for you.”

* * * 

Upstairs in Roberto’s room, Roberto and Illyana lay side by side on the bed, a heavy quilt pulled up over them for warmth. Illyana was laying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Roberto, though not asleep, was laying on his side with his eyes closed, one arm protectively draped over her. 

“You’re supposed to be asleep,” he said, not opening his eyes. 

“How did you know I was awake?”

“Because it’s obvious.” He opened his eyes, pushed himself up on one elbow and smiled at her. “What’s the matter?”

“I just keep thinking about this big fight I’m going to have with Dani.”

“What, you’re not worried you’re going to lose, are you?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Illyana answered. “I can wipe the floor with Dani any time, and she knows it. No, it’s just... I want this to work for her. I really want her to win, I mean in the sense that I want her to finally be able to use her powers. And I’m trying to think how I can help her to do that.” 

She turned her head slightly and smiled at him. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m not myself.”

Roberto smiled back. “You seem pretty you to me.”

“No. If I were acting like myself, I’d just cut Dani to ribbons, leave her in a pool of her own blood, and not think twice about it.”

Roberto gave her a skeptical look. “You wouldn’t really do that... would you?” 

“That’s the real me, Berto. Still sure you want me for a girlfriend?”

“If that’s the way you feel about it, then why are you worried about helping her?”

“Because she’s my friend. And... yeah. It matters to me that she does okay.” She shook her head slightly, angry at herself. “I’ve never felt this way about anybody before. About Dani. You. Everyone. I’m just... I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she repeated.

Roberto thought that over for a long moment. “Maybe... you’re acting a little less like a demon, and more like a person.”

“That’s it, exactly,” Illyana agreed.

“So, what’s wrong with that?”

“Because it scares the hell out of me.” Deciding she wasn’t going to sleep, Illyana rolled on her side, facing Roberto. “At least when I think and act like a demon, I never have to worry about... weakness.”

“Caring about other people isn’t a weakness,” Roberto declared with absolute conviction.

“Isn’t it?” Illyana shot back. 

“It’s a sign of strength,” Roberto insisted. “You have that strength, Illy, you always have. You care about everyone here. The only difference between you and Dani is, you don’t let yourself feel that. Right now, you can’t sleep, because you’re worried about Dani, and you’re trying to think of ways to help her. Would a demon do that?”

“No.”

“Demons may have snatched you away when you were a little kid, but you’re _not_ a demon, Illy. You’re a human being. And every time you re-connect to that human part of yourself, you get stronger.”

“But it hurts,” Illyana objected. 

“Well, yeah. Of course it does. When you care about anybody, you leave yourself vulnerable to pain.”

“Then what’s the point of it?”

“The point is, you also have the possibility of joy in your life. Name me one demon who has ever experienced joy, or even really understands what it means. I can sense this great love you feel for every one here, Illy. I know you feel it too. So don’t hide from it. Lean into it. You won’t even believe how amazing you’ll feel.”

Illyana swallowed hard. “I remember being very young, and my brother Piotr would come home from the fields after work, and he would toss me up into the air. I was always so happy to see him, and when he caught me in his arms...”

She stopped, momentarily transfixed by the memory.

“See? You _do_ remember what joy feels like. You can feel that way again, Illy. It’s not lost to you.”

Illyana stared at Roberto, genuinely surprised at him - and their conversation. She never had any expectation they would share of themselves like this. 

“But it scares me,” she said quietly.

“Well, duh. The first time you feel that for someone, and you tell them, it’s the scariest thing in the world. You’re risking your heart. It’s not a small thing. You want a hint, how to help Dani? Don’t fight _her._ Fight _for_ her. Once you get into that mindset, you won’t even have to think about it. You’ll just know what to do, and do it.”

Illyana shook her head. “I can’t do anything like that.”

“Illyana the demon can’t. Illyana the human being can,” Roberto insisted. “I catch glimpses of her sometimes, that human Illy, and she’s the most amazing person I think I’ve ever met.”

Illyana felt tears stinging her eyes. “Please don’t say things like that,” she murmured.

“Why not?”

“Because if you keep saying things like that, I... I might fall in love with you.”

Roberto simply smiled. “I’m willing to risk my heart for you,” he said simply. “You’re worth it.”

He leaned in to kiss her then, and she willingly let him.


	7. Chapter 7

The day for the fight came much sooner than expected. It was exactly three days after Moira stopped giving Dani the serum that muted her powers. That morning, before breakfast, Dani came to the door of Illyana’s room, knocked, and then looked in.  
  
“I’m ready,” she said simply.

Illyana looked up at her. “I’ll be right down,” she promised. 

Dani then went in search of Professor McCoy and Doctor MacTaggert, to make them aware the fight was about to take place. They hastily assembled their gear, and after giving strict instructions to the students that none of them were to leave the house until further notice, they all got into their winter gear, and then trudged through the still-heavy snow to the wide field halfway between the house and the pond. 

Dani looked around at what was about to become the field of battle. The expanse of snow was still mostly unbroken and brilliant white. It was a clear day, and mild, with a surprisingly blue sky and only a few scattered tufts of cumulus clouds. The sun actually felt warm. A lot of the snow would be melted by afternoon. 

Dani could feel hear her heart thudding in her chest. She actually felt faint - and the battle hadn’t even started yet. She glanced over at Illy. She was standing a few yards away, back turned, staring out at the snow, also lost in her own thoughts. 

Dani felt genuine fear clutching at her heart. No matter what happened today, her relationship with Illy was going to be changed forever by this event, perhaps even drastically. But would that change be something good? Or would their fragile friendship be completely shattered? Illy had agreed to this fight, not out of malice or spite, but genuine selflessness - but they had never faced off against each other before. Not like this. Whatever else might happen, Dani knew only one thing for certain: this fight would have real consequences. 

It seemed to take forever for the Professor and Doctor MacTaggert to set up the monitoring equipment, and then to attach the probes that would relay information about the use of their mutant powers. Fortunately, the probes were basically incorporated into an unobtrusive hair clip that attached easily and in no way hampered or restricted movement. 

Illy had clearly been making it a point not to look directly at Dani, until the clips were fastened in their hair. But as Doctor MacTaggert fussed with the placement of the probes, the two young women stared at each other, standing just a few feet apart, each looking directly into each other’s eyes. 

It wasn’t exactly a pre-fight stare down, although there was certainly something of that. Definitely, a challenge was being made. But as Dani looked into Illy’s eyes, there was something else there, too; something other than the simple desire to intimidate. Illy had an almost unreadable expression on her face, but Dani knew her friend well enough by now to decipher some of her more elusive sigils. And what Illy was signaling was clearly the encouragement that only a close friend could offer. _Hold nothing back,_ her face read. _Show me your strength. Your power. All of it. I want this for you. Fight me. Fight me, and free yourself._

At long last, Moira had everything the way she wanted, and returned to the portable folding table that supported the monitors, checking that all data was being returned reliably. Lastly, she took out the rifle containing the tranquilizer darts, and with evident disgust, laid it on the table. 

“Perhaps you might want me to handle that,” Hank suggested quietly, and Moira wordlessly shoved the rifle towards him. 

Although Moira was still clearly uncomfortable with this exercise, she had been slightly mollified when Hank had taken each of the young women aside to agree on some basic rules and structure to the fight, to keep things from getting entirely out of hand. Hank assured them both that once he had proof they could both handle themselves in a more restrictive setting, then they would be free to arrange future fights, with whatever rules the two of them agreed upon - however dirty those rules might be. Hank would step in if either fighter appeared to suffer a serious injury, or if one fighter fell or otherwise obviously withdrew in distress; he also reserved the right as “referee” to stop the fight at any time, for any reason he saw fit. Intentional blows to the head or face were expressly forbidden. Although actual contact between the fighters was expected to be minimal, physically striking the other fighter was allowed, and Hank saw fit to disallow certain submission holds, such as arm bars or any sort of chokehold. Illyana was allowed to use only her soul sword and her stepping discs, but no magic; Dani was to manifest only her demon bear and nothing else. There were to be four rounds, five minutes each, with ninety seconds between rounds; a round could be ended prematurely by a knockdown or a submission. There were to be no points awarded or any sort of scoring; the intent was simply to give Dani as much of an opportunity to manifest and control her projections as possible. The manifestation of any dream creature other than the demon bear would immediately end the fight - and likely result in a tranquilizer dart in Dani’s arm. Hank brought the two women close enough to remind them of these previously agreed upon rules, and then told them to place themselves a few yards apart, and await his signal to begin. 

Illyana removed her winter coat and hat, and carefully laid them atop the snow near the monitoring table. She was wearing a simple black sports bra, and dark, skin-tight leggings insulated against the cold, and black boots. Although her arms and midriff were bare, she didn’t seem to notice the cold. She tied up her long blonde hair into a ponytail as she walked a few yards away, then turned, shaking out her head and shoulders. Her soul sword, glowing bright blue, appeared in her hand, but she did not assume a battle crouch; she just watched Dani, and waited for Dr. McCoy’s signal.  
  
Dani likewise discarded her heavy winter coat, keeping a light cotton hoodie over her thermal undershirt, and leggings and boots similar to Illyana’s. She nodded to the Professor that she was ready, whenever he gave the word.

 _All right, you stupid bear,_ Dani told herself as she gritted her teeth. _Do what I tell you, or I’m never feeding you again._

“All right, ladies,” Hank McCoy announced. “Round one. Begin.”

Illyana immediately brought up her sword in front of her, assuming a defense stance. Dani closed her eyes, and for the first time, intentionally summoned her demon bear.  
  
It was a genuinely terrifying thing, colossal, easily the size and weight of a fully grown grizzly, but it strode forward on its hind legs, walking almost like a human, swinging its massive paws in front of it in a lazy, almost comical motion. Where it should have had eyes, two blazing, blood-red lights burned, so bright it hurt to look directly at them.  
  
With a snarl, the bear bore down on Illyana, and she didn’t wait for its advance; with a loud shriek of her own, she charged, brandishing her sword. Illyana drew first blood, grazing the bear on its large forearm. But the bear quickly returned the blow with a hard smack to Illyana’s shoulder that sent her sprawling in the snow. She leapt to her feet again, unhurt, holding her sword with both hands. The bear swung at her several times, just barely missing her. Its movements were blindingly fast. It did not move like a real bear would. This was a creature of the dream realms, and its movements carried none of the weight and momentum of anything from the waking world. It was fast as only a nightmare could be. Illyana found herself back-footed, desperately parrying a series of savage swipes from the bear’s arms that she could barely manage to deflect. Despite finding herself on the defensive, she actually smiled. This fight wouldn’t be nearly as easy as she expected. She was being legitimately challenged. And part of her was proud and happy for her friend. 

There followed a quick succession of parries as Illyana and the bear each struggled to put each other on the defensive. Neither could seem to gain an advantage, so after several exhausting exchanges, Illyana manifested a stepping disc, vanishing from sight. Her intent was to immediately re-appear behind the bear in its blind spot, and deliver a powerful if not necessarily decisive blow. However, as soon as Illyana re-appeared, a paw smacked her hard in the face, and she fell backwards into the snow, head ringing. Evidently Dani had anticipated that tactic, and while she couldn’t see Illyana, she knew roughly where Illyana was likely to re-appear, and swung blindly in that spot. Illy waved frantically in the direction of the scorer’s table to indicate that she wasn’t badly hurt, as she knew Professor McCoy could consider even an inadvertent blow to the face as reason to stop the fight. She wiped her hand across her forehead and it came away with a smear of blood. Cursing under her breath, she retreated quickly as the bear advanced on her again. She teleported herself away, but each time she reappeared again, the nightmare bear was charging her almost immediately. 

Shrieking with fury, Illyana swung her sword in a series of short, violent strokes, trying to create space between herself and the roaring monster that towered over her. She was rewarded with the briefest opening, and was able to drive her sword deep into the bear’s shoulder. It howled with pain, and backed off. 

Illyana glanced over at Dani. Most of Dani’s projections were dream constructs that would simply vanish when vanquished. But the demon bear was something different - it was more akin to a spirit animal. As long as Dani maintained control over her bear, she could feel the sympathetic pain of any wound, but she wouldn’t be physically harmed - unless her control slipped, and then any wound suffered by the bear would also be suffered by Dani. And it was obvious, Dani felt that blow. She was clutching at her shoulder and grimacing with pain. But she didn’t appear to be seriously hurt, and she was obviously still in control of the bear, which was advancing on Illyana again. 

_You hold on, girl,_ Illyana thought, not sure if that exhortation was meant for herself or for Dani.

It seemed an eternity before Professor McCoy called out that the time limit had been reached for the first round. Everyone - including Dani - was clearly relieved when Dani bade the bear vanish, and it did, dissolving into the air like smoke. Illyana immediately collapsed into the snow, dropping to her hands and knees, gasping for air. Hank came over to check on her, and she smiled at him, giving him a weak “thumbs up”. The relief on his face was obvious, and he went over to check on Dani, who also nodded that she was okay - although she was leaning forward heavily on her knees, sucking in wind just as Illyana was. 

Illyana pushed herself up on one knee. The fight, so far, had gone as well as anyone could have hoped. Dani remained in full control of her projections, and no projection other than the demon bear had manifested. Even better, she was giving Illyana an actual fight. She hadn’t the same level of strength, or nearly as much experience as Illyana had, but Dani clearly understood the tactics of combat, and applied them smartly, for maximum benefit. Illyana smiled in grudging admiration. Dani was growing in Illyana’s estimation by the minute. Dani had come to fight. She was undeniably tough, and she wasn’t backing down. Illyana had to work for everything she got, and she appreciated the challenge. She smiled encouragingly at Dani, and Dani smiled back.

Neither fighter moved, apart from gulping in air, until Hank signaled that the second round could begin. 

Illyana slowly got to her feet, manifested her sword, and started forward. After a moment, Dani’s bear reappeared - and Illyana noted with interest that all the wounds the bear had sustained in the first round were still visible. Was that a conscious decision on Dani’s part? Or did she have the ability to manifest the bear again, as if it were totally unharmed? Definitely a question to ask later. But with the bear charging her again, it was time to give her full concentration to winning the fight. 

This time, Dani did something sneaky, and instead of swinging at Illyana, just had the bear fall forward, as if it had tripped. With a yelp of surprise, Illyana teleported herself away just in time to prevent being pinned underneath. The bear rolled towards her, claws and fangs bared, and Illyana had to immediately teleport again to avoid being wounded. She re-appeared a few feet away, and immediately resumed a defensive stance, sword circling slightly in her hands.

 _Very nice, Moonstar,_ she thought approvingly. _Very sneaky. I can be sneaky, too._

Illyana decided to try using one of her own teleport circles as an offensive weapon. She had no idea if she could even do such a thing - or if it would have any impact at all against what was effectively a dream creature that didn’t really exist. But she created a circle underneath the bear, and it vanished; Illyana immediately created a second circle about three feet off the ground, and the bear fell out of it, crashing head-first into a waiting snowbank. Illyana glanced over at Dani. A “piledriver” like that could cause a serious neck injury if she wasn’t extremely careful. But although Dani was grabbing the back of her neck and wincing with pain, there was an appreciative grin on her face. Illyana sighed with relief. She belatedly realized that was not something she wanted to attempt again - not unless she and Dani had worked out some kind of safeguards in advance. 

Unfortunately, she was distracted long enough for the bear to roll over out of the snow, and roaring in fury, it took a savage swipe at Illyana, and managed to rake its claws over her stomach.

The cuts weren’t deep, but they bled freely, and Illyana grimaced with pain. 

“Try to disembowel me?” Illy howled with rage. “Bitch! I will _cut_ you for that!”

She swung her sword wide, and for a few moments, there was a furious exchange of blows between the two combatants, many of which landed true. Illyana had almost reached the limit of her endurance when the bear abruptly vanished. Confused, Illyana looked around, the bear was nowhere to be seen. She glanced over at Dani. The young Cheyenne was standing limply, with her arms at her sides, a vacant expression on her face - and then she collapsed, her legs buckling, tumbling headlong into the snow. 

Shrieking with horror, Illyana immediately teleported to her friend’s side.

“Dani? _Dani?!”_

Illyana rolled Dani on to her side, and with palpable relief, saw that Dani was still conscious, and smiling weakly at her. 

_“Fuck,”_ she moaned softly, and it was a rare thing for Dani to ever curse. “Rasputin, that sword of yours _hurts.”_

“Are you okay?” Illyana asked, still half-panicked.

“Yeah, yeah, I think so,” Dani grunted. “Help me up.”

Illyana had managed to assist Dani into a sitting position when Hank McCoy came running up to them, a stricken look on his face.

“Fight’s over, Professor,” Dani told him. “Illy won. I sure hope you guys got all the data you needed.”

“Are you hurt?” Hank asked. 

Dani grimaced, and as she brought her arm up, there was a bright red bloodstain seeping through the sleeve of her hoodie.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she assured them. “My control slipped a little, right at the end. But I do need to stop now.”

“Illyana?”

“I’m okay. I can ‘port Dani to the infirmary, meet you guys there?”

“Thank you, Illyana, that would be best. Doctor MacTaggert will follow you in directly. Don’t worry about your coats and things, I’ll collect everything.”

Illyana pulled Dani close to her, and a moment later, they vanished in one of her stepping discs.


	8. Chapter 8

“You two could have killed yourselves out there.”

Moira MacTaggert was in a high rage. Dani and Illyana had seen many moods from their teacher and friend over the last several weeks, but nothing that even remotely approached this. 

They were sitting together in the annex’s small but well-equipped infirmary, and Doctor MacTaggert was carefully tending to the injuries that Dani and Illyana had suffered during their fight. Although most of the cuts and abrasions were shallow and required little more than a careful cleaning and a bandage, Dani had suffered a deep cut running nearly the length of her left forearm that required several stitches. It would undoubtedly leave a scar. The nasty cut above Illyana’s left eye required similar stitching. 

Dani winced as Moira threaded the sutures. “You did at least get data on my power, though, right?”

Moira paused in her work. “Dani, you are worth more to me than any pile of data on your mutant power. Do you understand that?” she seethed. “There are any number of ways, _safe_ ways, we could have run tests to acquire that same data, rather than this... this ridiculous showdown you two insisted on having. Frankly, this is something I’d expect from the boys, not you.”

“We’re sorry, Doctor MacTaggert,” Dani said softly, chastened by the rebuke. 

“The two of you are confined to your rooms for the rest of the week. You can only leave for class, or meals. The rest of the time, you stay put. Do I make myself clear?”

“But, Doctor MacTaggert...” Illyana started to protest. 

“And another thing for you, Illy. I don’t know where you get your alcohol from, and I don’t care. This is a school, not the town pub. Get rid of it, and don’t bring any more into the house. Ever. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Illyana answered in a barely audible voice. 

Finally, Moira took out a syringe of the serum that neutralized Dani’s powers. Dani groaned in dismay at the sight of it. 

“Oh, Doctor MacTaggert, no, _please...”_

“Not another word, Dani,” Moira said firmly. “Until Professor McCoy and I have had a chance to review the data we obtained, we’re not taking any chances that your power could manifest inadvertently. As as far as any future practice sessions are concerned, we are not discussing those again until both of you have fully healed from your injuries - and I mean _fully_ healed.”

“But, Doctor MacTaggert...”

“And if I hear any backtalk from either of you, I swear, I will dose you both, and lock you in your rooms for a solid month. Are we clear?”

Dani and Illyana looked at each other in dismay. There was no sense trying to talk to Moira right now. She was simply too angry. 

“Yes, ma’am,” they both answered meekly. 

Satisfied that she attended to all their wounds, Moira turned on her heel and stormed out of the infirmary, the angry staccato of her heels clicking down the hallway as she strode away.

“Wow,” Dani breathed softly.

“Right?” Illyana agreed.

“I think we scared her for real this time.”

“We’re gonna have to be on our best behavior for a month.”

“She loves you both very, very much, you know,” Hank McCoy observed, coming into the room. 

“Professor,” Dani sighed with relief.

“You’re not going to yell at us too, are you?” Illyana grimaced.

Hank snorted mirthlessly. “You came seeking my approval for this exercise. And I did approve it. Mind you, I didn’t expect to see the two of you turning each other into hamburger.”

“We just wanted to see what we could do,” Illyana protested meekly. “We don’t get many chances to cut loose at full power at all.”

“No. You don’t. And I’m glad you made the most of it. You’re both all right?” He asked with obvious concern, surveying the many bandages on both women. 

“We’ve got a nice new collection of bruises and scrapes, a few cuts, but really, we’re okay,” Dani assured him. 

“We don’t really have to stay in our rooms for a whole week, do we, Professor?” Illyana groaned.

“For now, yes. In fact, I think it would be very wise for both of you to do exactly as Doctor MacTaggert instructs you from now on. I will have a word with her. But tread lightly. Moira was not comfortable with this idea from the start. We’ll have to start looking for ways to test your powers that won’t leave her feeling so... anxious.”

“We really didn’t mean to make her mad,” Dani protested. 

“Or scared,” Illyana added.

Hank regarded them both thoughtfully. “And I just wanted to make sure there was no personal animosity behind this particular exercise.”

Dani and Illyana exchanged a bewildered look. 

“Oh... you mean, do we hate each other? No, no. Not at all,” Illyana exclaimed.

“Illy helped me today,” Dani added. “And I don’t mean a little bit. This was breakthrough help. This was huge. I controlled the demon bear today, Professor. Even when I was under attack, I had control of my power. I’ve never been able to do that before.”

“It’s significant, I agree,” Hank nodded. 

“I asked Illy to push me, because I wanted to see if I could control my power, even when things got really rough. And, yeah. I wanted to push her back. But that’s not hate. In fact, I couldn’t have asked Illy to do this, if I didn’t trust her completely.”

“You’ll see us pushing each other a lot,” Illyana added. “I know I can be kind of... intense. I need to be able to push against something. And I love it that Dani pushes back. Because of the powers we have, there’s so few people who can or will do that for us. Dani really does help me, in ways no one else could.”

To emphasize their point, the two young women clasped hands tightly in a show of solidarity. 

“Please, Professor,” Dani pleaded. “The only thing I don’t want to do now is step back. I got to use my power today. And that felt good. I don’t want to go back to being doped up all the time. I want to work with you, and Doctor MacTaggert, to find a way to only use my powers when I consciously direct them. And I promise, I’ll do whatever you ask, to help make that happen. You pick the path. I’ll walk it.”

“Yes, well, the only path you both need to walk right now is back to your rooms,” Hank said. “You really did punish each other quite a bit today. So give yourselves some time to recover. You need it more than you think.”

He had just stepped through the doorway when he turned back. “And just one other thing. What I saw from both of you today was extremely impressive. Your powers are quite extraordinary. Rest assured, I will be looking at any and all options for you to safely... cut loose.”

He smiled at them, and left the room.

Dani turned to Illyana and gave her a rueful smile. 

“I got you thrown in the doghouse again. I’m sorry, Illy.”

“Hey, I _live_ in the doghouse,” Illyana quipped. “It’s my home away from home. They even have my name on a gold plaque in there.”

Dani managed a grin, even though it stung her badly abraded cheek. “And I’m sorry for being such a wimp. I was really hoping to go all four rounds with you. I didn’t even manage two.”

”Are you kidding?” Illyana replied. “Dani, you were _awesome._ You hung in there with me in a fight, a _real_ fight, and never once backed down. I gotta be honest. I really didn’t think you had that in you. You impressed the hell out of me today.”

“Oh! Uhh, thanks.” Dani actually blushed at the unexpected compliment. “And thank you, for today. I meant what I said to the Professor. What you did for me was huge. I really never thought this would ever happen for me. That I could ever control my power, even for a little while. I owe you, Illy. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Dani was expecting Illy to deflect her comment, or make light of it, but what she said next astonished her. 

“I know you’re expecting me to say something smartassed right now,” she said, with a somber smile. “But... mini truth circle, just between us? You really are my friend. And I really do love you. And I couldn’t care less who won the fight. Now I know, if it ever came to that, you’d fight for me. You wouldn’t run. It means a lot.” She paused for a moment, composing herself against a sudden, unexpected flood of emotion. “You’re my alpha. You lead. I’ll follow. And thank you - not just for seeing the good in me. For helping me see the good in myself. That’s a place I never thought I’d get to, either.”

Illyana gingerly slid off the examination table, grimacing slightly as her movements tugged at her bandages. 

“Okay. Enough of this mushy stuff,” she declared. “Berto’s been waiting to make this big fuss over me, when I come back from the fight all sweaty and scratched up. I think it turns him on,” she grinned. “But he wants to smother me with TLC, and you know what? I think I’m gonna let him. You should let little Miss Therapy Wolf do the same for you. See ya at dinner, Moonstar.”

Illyana limped out of the infirmary, and Dani couldn’t do anything but stare after her, open-mouthed in amazement. 

* * *

It was shortly after 9 PM, and Moira MacTaggert was hunched over the workstation in her office, carefully reviewing lines of data on her computer screen. Suddenly aware she was being watched, she looked up to see Hank McCoy grinning at her from the doorway. He had a tea tray in his hands, with two cups and a fresh pot of herbal tea.

“That data will still be there in the morning, you know,” he reminded her. 

“Hank!” Moira wearily leaned back in her chair, stretching out her stiff back. “Oh, I know. It’s just - we’ve never had any good data on Dani’s mutant powers, and what we recorded today is a treasure trove. It will be invaluable in helping her down the road.”

“You’re like me. Once you get set on a problem, you can’t stop until you’ve finished it. I brought you some tea.”

“It smells wonderful. Please come in.”

Hank stepped into the office, set the tray on the corner of Moira’s desk, and carefully poured a cup for her, then one for himself. He settled himself into the chair across from her. 

“I’m delighted to see you don’t think acquiring this data was a waste of time,” he suggested. 

Moira sighed. “I really lit into the girls today, didn’t I?” she said with a rueful smile. “I really should have just said ‘no’ from the start, but then I thought, it’s just a little roughhouse, they’ll be fine. When I started seeing their blood smeared all over the snow, I... well. Let’s just say after that, I was less enthusiastic.”

“They _do_ play rough,” Hank admitted. “But they’re tough kids, Moira. They push the boundaries, yes, but they’re very aware where the boundaries are. And I’m still glad they had the sense to at least come to us with what they were planning. Believe me, I wasn’t nearly that forthcoming with the adults in my life at the same age.”

“It just seems a shame that the only way I could obtain this data was to let them fight.”

Hank put his teacup down. “Is that really all you saw today? A fight? You surprise me, Moira.”

Moira frowned at him in puzzlement. “Why? Was there something else I was supposed to see?”

Hank grinned at her. “You know... you can’t see under all this hair, but this square chin of mine has some really nasty scars on it,” he confessed. “And most of those scars didn’t come from fighting super-villains. They came from the kids I grew up with, the students I graduated with, the people who became my lifetime friends. Scott and Warren and Bobby - even Jean - every one of them has left some kind of permanent mark on my face. And every one of those scars purchased a friendship that ends only with death. We didn’t just watch a fight today, Moira. We witnessed an unbreakable friendship being forged. Dani and Illyana both know now that they can count on each other, and no matter what happens to them, over the course of their lives, they will reach out to each other, and lift each other up, in bad times and good. They will never doubt or mistrust themselves ever again. They created a bond today, one that will last both their lifetimes. Frankly...” he took up his teacup again. “It was an exhilarating thing to watch.”

Moira mulled Hank’s words for a long time. “I never thought of it that way,” she admitted finally. “But even I can see, Illy has been so much better, once she and Dani became friends. It really has been a beneficial relationship for both of them.”

“And for us,” Hank said. “You and I are scientists. We don’t always appreciate that a punch in the nose can be a bonding experience. But over the years, I have learned not to disregard that experience. I think you’ll find that Illy’s worst days are now behind her. And Dani and Illy both have told me, in as many words, they need and want our help when they start taking their next steps forward. I didn’t realize coming here that working with these gifted children would be so... humbling.”

Moira regarded Hank for a long moment, and slowly a warm smile spread across her face. She lifted up her own teacup in a toast. 

“I’m so very glad to have this chance to work with you, Hank.”

“And it’s my honor and privilege to work with you, Moira,” Hank returned.

They clinked their cups together, took long sips of their tea, and then sat together in warm, companionable silence.


	9. Chapter 9

The next three weeks at the annex passed by in a gauzy blur. Dani and Illy’s wounds healed quite rapidly, and after some initial reluctance, Doctor MacTaggert began to ease back on Dani’s medication. Having no incidents involving nightmare monsters or demon bears, they began a trial period, with Dani off her medication entirely. Happily the results were the same; no monsters under the bed, no horrible things going bump in the night. 

Sean Cassidy arrived after a few days, and while he did not often interact directly with the students, it was immediately obvious that his presence to Doctor MacTaggert was a real comfort. She became far less strident and anxious, and her interactions with the students quickly resumed their more genial, relaxed tone. 

Slowly, everyone began to ease into a new routine. The students welcomed the changes, with Professor McCoy and Doctor MacTaggert alternating the presentation of lectures and classes. As promised, Stevie Hunter visited the campus twice a week, and led the students through some organized physical activities to help break up the routine. To everyone’s surprise, the students enjoyed learning how to do yoga the most. 

Professor McCoy continued to hold regular one-on-one sessions with his new students. Part personalized instruction, part therapy session, the one-on-ones quickly became the students’ favorite part of the curriculum. As Hank himself had admitted, he was no Charles Xavier. But he was a good listener and an engaging instructor, and every student began to feel like they were making progress, not just academically, but personally. Inadvertent mishaps involving mutant powers slowly became little more than bad memories of past events. 

Illyana Rasputin underwent what could only be described as a sea change. All of her former hostility towards her fellow students, and even towards herself, seemed to evaporate, like Dani’s demon bear. She became attentive, not disruptive, in the classroom, and made a sincere effort to participate. She began to welcome overtures of friendship from the other students, hesitantly at first, but with growing confidence. She even welcomed teasing about her blossoming romance with Roberto. Illy and Dani continued to challenge each other, but their rivalry no longer had anything nasty about it; they had become close friends pushing each other to grow as individuals. As Hank had observed, they had forged an unbreakable friendship. Sam, in his plain-spoken manner, summed up Illy’s changes the best. 

“You act like you want to be with us now,” he told Illy. “And that sure is nice to see.”

Even Illy’s appearance began to change. Previously, she had long ago settled on a single color for her wardrobe: black. And the more inappropriate or provocative the clothing, the better. But as Illy’s attitude began to change, so did her clothing. She began to experiment with different styles and colors. Amara, sensing an opportunity for friendship, let Illy borrow some of her outfits, as they wore the same size of clothes. And some of Illy’s new looks were surprisingly flattering. About the only thing Illy didn’t change was her hairstyle; she steadfastly preferred her long, straight bangs, apparently deciding that was an integral part of her self-image.

The most significant change was Illy’s relationship with Moira MacTaggert. Before Illy’s illness, their relationship was best described as “antagonistic”. But Illy began to signal, clearly and unmistakably, that what she needed most was some maternal guidance. Moira was hesitant at first, not wanting to show preferential treatment for any one student over the others. But the other students very emphatically stated this was not a problem, and the more Moira leaned into that role, the more positively Illy responded. It turned out that what Illy was missing and needing the most was a mother. 

Hank and Illyana continued to make frequent visits to the mansion. Reassuringly, the temporal event - whatever it was - continued to recede at the expected rates, and it became common for disembodied voices to be heard in the hallways, a welcome sign that whenever in time the students and faculty were, they were slowly on their way back. On the day that the event was expected to recede entirely, Warren Worthington III flew out to join Hank at the main campus. Hank also allowed Illyana to come with them, in the hopes she might be reunited with her older brother. 

As the three of them stood just outside the entrance to the mansion, Warren looked over at Hank.

“How will we know if this worked?” he asked.

“I suspect that answer will be obvious,” Hank grinned.

No sooner had he said that, the front door opened, and two students raced past them, laughing and giggling.

Still grinning, Hank caught the door before it closed, and motioned Warren and Illy inside. As they stepped into the foyer, it was immediately evident the school had returned to normal; students were hurrying up and down the stairs, and through the hallways, and a cacophony of shouts and general conversation assailed their ears. The noise seemed unnaturally loud, after the eerie silence of the past month.

“Illy? What are you doing here?”

They all turned to see Kitty Pryde walking towards them. With a shriek of delight, Illyana raced into her friend’s arms, and caught her in a crushing bear hug. Kitty was obviously confused at the intensity of the greeting, but willingly returned the hug. She noticed the two men standing nearby.

“Dr. McCoy. Mr. Worthington. It’s nice to see you! I didn’t know you were visiting today.”

“This is an impromptu visit,” Hank smiled. “Is Professor Xavier in his study?”

“Yes, I just came from there.”

“Then might I impose on you to escort Illyana up to her brother’s room? While we say hello to the professor.”

“Of course.”

“Illy, we’ll come find you later.”

Hand in hand, Illyana and Kitty raced up the stairwell together.

Hank turned to Warren and grinned. “Well, let’s go find Charles, and ask him what day he thinks it is.”

The two men ambled through the long hallway to the study at the far end of the house. As they knocked at the open doorway, Charles Xavier looked up from his desk and his mouth fell open in delighted surprise.

“Henry! Warren!”

He quickly pushed himself away from the desk and wheeled his chair over to greet them. 

“I’m so happy to see you both! What brings you to the school?”

Warren grinned, taking his hand and shaking it warmly. _“To visit you, my lord, no other occasion.”_

Xavier chuckled. “Indeed. And what news do you bring me?”

Hank clasped his old mentor’s hands with genuine affection. _“None, my lord, but that the world’s grown honest._ It’s good to see you, Charles.”

“And you.” He gave both men an appraising look. “But I gather your visit today isn’t social.”

“Well, it is, partly. But we _do_ have news.”

“And what news would that be?”

“Charles, what would you say if I told you, I have been professor emeritus at the annex for Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters for just over a month now?”

“You’ve been substitute teaching behind my back? That _is_ a revelation.”

He glanced over at Warren, and Warren just grinned.

“Hey, don’t look at me. I’ve just been busy being rich. Same ol’ same ol’.”

The two men settled themselves into chairs, and Hank told Charles of the abrupt disappearance of everyone from the main campus, and how he and Moira had been caretaking for the remaining students at the annex. Although Xavier expressed immediate concern when told of the length of the absence, he otherwise displayed a distinct lack of incredulity for the rest of Hank’s story. 

Hank gave him an almost suspicious smile. “You don’t seem surprised to hear any of this, Charles.”

“Well, I’m certainly dismayed to hear that we have been missing for nearly ten weeks. But yes, I think I may have the answer as to the cause.” He put a finger to his temple, as he often did when issuing a telepathic summons. “Eva, would you mind coming to my study, please?”

A few moments later, a slender young girl, perhaps fifteen years of age, with dark brown hair, entered the study. She hesitated in the doorway, seeing the professor was not alone.

“It’s all right, Eva, come in,” Professor Xavier motioned her inside. “I’d like you to meet two of my former students, Dr. Henry McCoy, and Mr. Warren Worthington III. Henry, Warren, this is Eva Bell, one of our newest students, recently arrived from New South Wales, Australia.”

“Hello, Eva,” Hank said, rising from his chair to greet her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  
  
Eva’s mouth dropped open. “You guys are the X-Men,” she gasped in surprise. “I mean, you used to be X-Men, I mean, uhh, that is...” she was obviously floundering before settling on, “Wow. It’s really an honor to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Warren grinned at her.

“Eva is a very special student, and she has a most unique mutant power,” Xavier told them. “She has the ability to freeze time.”

Hank was instantly intrigued. “Does she indeed.”

Eva’s expression changed to one of deep chagrin, and she groaned in dismay. “Oh no, is this about that stupid stunt I pulled?”

Hank frowned in confusion. “Stunt?”

“It’s all right, Eva,” Charles Xavier assured her. “Please tell them.”

Eva made an exasperated sigh. “When I first got here, some of the other kids were teasing me about my powers,” she explained. “You know. You tell someone you can freeze time, and they’re just like, oh, yeah, right, sure you can. And some of them started to bet me that I couldn’t freeze the entire school.”

Hank and Warren exchanged a dubious look with one another.

“It was stupid, I know,” Eva continued. “But they were really getting my goat. And so I tried it. And it kinda worked. I mean, things went a little weird, but after a moment everybody froze normally, and then they all just... snapped back again.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry. I’m probably not explaining this very well.”

“When you say, ‘things went weird’, what do you mean by that?” Hank pressed.

Eva shrugged. “I dunno. Normally, when I use my power, everything stops, just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “But I’d never tried to freeze anything as big as an entire school before. So when I first tried it, it didn’t work like it usually does. Everybody seemed to be in slow motion for a couple of seconds before they actually stopped.”

“That’s most enlightening,” Hank nodded thoughtfully.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

Hank glanced at Charles, and he nodded. “It’s all right. Tell her.”

Hank grimaced with unexpected embarrassment. “Well, Eva, it seems not only were you successful in freezing the school - you managed to displace the entire campus in time. By an interval of approximately ten weeks.”

Eva’s hands flew to her mouth in horror. “I _did?_ Oh, my God, I am so, _sooo_ sorry...”

Charles Xavier held up a hand, and he smiled at her reassuringly. “Eva, it’s all right. There was no harm done. At least, no permanent harm.” He glanced at Hank. “But if what you tell me is true, it might be prudent to assure several sets of parents that their children are all safe and well.” He turned back to Eva. “And certainly we need to make an immediate reassessment of the upper limits of your abilities, as it seems our original estimates are far off the mark. And also, to ensure that any future practice sessions involve very specific and pre-arranged targets.”

“Professor, I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am,” Eva groaned.

“Eva, it was an accident,” Xavier replied. “No one has been harmed. You have nothing to worry about.”

Hank smiled. “In fact, I may even be able to provide some raw data on the extent of your powers. When everyone appeared to vanish, I visited the campus and set up sensor probes everywhere. I collected a significant amount of data regarding the anomaly, over a period of several days.” He glanced over at Charles. “Might be useful when you start looking into the limits of Eva’s powers.”

“That data would be most helpful, Henry, thank you.”

A few moments after Eva was reassured that all was well, and allowed to return to class, Xavier turned to Hank.

“If what you tell me is true, I think I’d best pay a visit to the annex this afternoon. For their reassurance, as much as my own.”

“Of course.” Hank grinned. “Also, you, uhh, might want to order take-out for everyone tonight. I think you’ll find your cupboard is suddenly a little bare.”

* * * 

Charles Xavier’s arrival at the annex was an unexpectedly joyous occasion. Everyone seemed delighted to see him, and of course happy to hear the news that everyone else had safely returned. Sean Cassidy wrung Xavier’s hands so enthusiastically he seemed in real danger of shaking his arms off, and Moira MacTaggert, normally a woman of genteel reserve, flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, unable to hold back joyful tears. 

“It is so good to see everyone,” Charles told them, and then he smiled at Amara. “And some new faces, too. Amara, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to greet you in person when you first arrived.”

“That’s all right,” she assured him. “You’re here now.”

After the reunions had quieted down, Dani waved for attention. “Professor McCoy, Doctor MacTaggert, would you mind if the students had a quick word with Professor Xavier in private?”

Moira and Hank looked at each other and shrugged in bemusement. “Certainly. If you like.”

Sean, Hank, Moira and Warren all headed off to the kitchen, leaving the living room to Charles Xavier and his students. He smiled at them. 

“I gather there’s something you wanted to ask me.”

“Professor, we’re really happy you’re back, but yes, we have a request we’d like to make.” 

Xavier leaned back in his chair. “Tell me what’s on your minds.”

“We know this was only meant to be a temporary arrangement, but... we really, really like Doctor MacTaggert and Professor McCoy as our teachers,” Dani said. “We’ve only been with them a short time, but they have helped us all so much.”

“Dani’s even off her meds now,” Illyana interjected.

Dani gave Illy a playful elbow in the ribs.

“What?” Illy protested. “That’s a good thing. It’s an _awesome_ thing.”

“We realize that ultimately the decision is theirs,” Dani continued. “That they had lives of their own before all this happened, but... we were just kinda hoping you could put a word in their ear. Let them know we really like having them there, and... that we’d like them to stay.”

“I see.” Charles looked around the room. “And you’re all in agreement with this?”

There was a strong murmur of assent around the room. 

“I can speak with them, of course. But surely you must be aware that right now, your own words will carry far more weight than mine. Have you told either of them of your feelings in this matter?”

“We think they know how we feel, but yes, we’ll certainly sit down and tell them. Just in case.”

“For the record, I would have no objection to that arrangement,” Xavier told them. “I had always intended for the annex to have its own permanent staff eventually. I can’t promise anything, other than I will speak with them on the subject. And I strongly recommend you do the same, at your earliest opportunity.”

“We will.”

“Guys?” Illyana said shyly. “Would you mind... if I had a quick word with Professor Xavier alone?”

Everyone glanced at everyone else. “Sure.”

“Is that all you needed to ask me, as a group?” Xavier asked.

“Well, that, and just to say, welcome home, Professor,” Sam nodded. 

A few moments later, the other students headed up the stairwell to their own rooms. Xavier smiled at Illyana.

“You had a welcome reunion with Piotr, I take it.”

“And Katya, too. Yes. It’s good to see you, Professor. It’s good to see all of you.”

“What did you wish to speak to me about?”

Illyana paused, suddenly self-conscious and utterly tongue-tied. It took her a moment to unwind her thoughts, and Xavier waited patiently.

“When... when you first sent me here, to the annex, I was really, really angry with you,” she said quietly.

Xavier sighed. “Illyana, I don’t mind telling you, that was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.”

“I know,” Illyana answered quickly. “I know that now. I just didn’t know it then.”

“I’m against incarceration on general principle. But we needed to keep you safe, until we could find some way to help you. And of course, there were your brother’s feelings to consider. He’s never forgiven himself, for missing seven years of your life.”

“I keep trying to tell him that it’s okay. That we’re together now. But I think now, I can give him something that will help. And... maybe you, too.”

“Me?” Xavier looked at her in surprise. 

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve made friends. Some real good friends. People who have really helped me find that human part of me, and bring her back. And that never would have happened, it you hadn’t sent me here. The demon part of me is still there. But it’s not the strong part any more. The human part of me is stronger. And I feel more... human... every day. I just wanted to tell you... it worked out. You did the right thing. I’m okay,” she declared emphatically. “I’m going to be okay. And I just wanted you to know that. Because I know... this wasn’t easy for you.”

Shyly, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I guess I just wanted to say, thanks.”

Xavier was visibly moved. “I’m... very glad to hear that, Illyana. Very glad indeed.”

“Illy. Please call me Illy. Everybody else does.”

“Illy.”

“You and Doctor MacTaggert and Professor McCoy... you’ve all helped me so much. And whatever happens next, I just wanted you to know... you did the right thing. Even if it hurt at the time.”

Abruptly, Illyana got up, and hurried from the room. 

It took Charles Xavier a few moments to compose himself, but when he returned to the kitchen, Warren, Sean, Hank and Moira were all looking at him expectantly. 

“Charles, if you need a lift over to the main campus, I can certainly drive you back,” Warren offered. “But I think Hank and Moira have something they’d like to ask you first.”

“Certainly. What is it?”

Hank exhaled nervously. “Charles, I know this was an impromptu arrangement, but Moira and I were wondering... if we might stay on for a little while. Continue working with the students here in the annex, as we have been doing. We seem to have reached a point where real progress is being made. And it seems a shame to scuttle that. As long as you have no objections, that is.”

A huge smile spread across Charles Xavier’s face.

“I’m sure we can work something out,” he said.


End file.
